MUGGERS Alley was the scene of a violent attempted robbery last month in the same location as 60-year-old Aulton ‘Tom’ Rogers was murdered in an entirely unrelated incident.

Four days before Tom was found by a member of the public three young men were walking through the Western Flyer underpass when they were approached from behind and attacked.

They were punched to the back of the head, and one was attacked using an object as a weapon. While no property was taken, police are treating the incident as attempted robbery.

One of the victims was left unconscious after the assault and was admitted to hospital.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “The incident happened in the underpass between Station Road and the Oasis Leisure Centre on June 22 at approximately 4am.

“Three men, all in their 20s, were approached from behind by two unknown men. The victims were then punched to the back of the head and one of the victims was hit with a hard object.

“This victim was left unconscious following the attack and required hospital treatment. The two suspects then fled the scene without taking any property.

“The first suspect is described as a white man wearing blue tracksuit bottoms, a pale coloured vest top and a hooded top tied around his waist.

“The second suspect is described as a white man wearing dark coloured trousers, a white T-shirt with a dark pocket on the left hand-side and dark coloured collar. He was wearing dark footwear.

“Wiltshire Police would like to issue the following safety messages which apply at all times, not just when there has been an incident. Avoid walking alone late at night, make sure someone knows where you are going and when you expect to return, consider carrying a personal alarm, make sure your mobile phone is charged and you have sufficient credit, use well-lit routes, plan how you are getting home and use public transport if possible and report any suspicious activity.

  • Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Wiltshire Police via 101.