Men aged 17-25 suffer most assaults

YOUNG men between the ages of 17-25 are most likely to be assaulted, according to new figures from Victim Support.

Of 574 male assault victims referred to the support group last year, 200 were in this age group; 139 were aged 26-35 and 29 were under 16. The figures show a sharp increase in the number of people seeking help as a result of personal crime. Assault, robbery, theft and workplace crime almost tripled from 13% in 2001 to 35% in 2002.

However, families of murder victims seeking help are placing the greatest strain on the organisation’s resources, which suffered a 5% cut in Government funding this year.