Duston dad-of-two stabbed in the neck and head during Northampton robbery

Tony Hogarth only realised his neck had been slashed after it was pointed out to him by some passers-by.

Tony Hogarth had been enjoying a colleague's leaving do at the Jekyll and Hyde in Wellingborough Road in the early hours of Sunday morning.

But when he wandered to get a taxi at around 1.35am, the dad-of-two was approached by a woman who asked him for some change.

Rather than simply dismissing the woman, the 51-year-old got chatting, asking her how she found herself on the streets.

But his kindness was met with violence when the woman and another man brutally assaulted him a few minutes later.

It was only when stumbling away from the attack and finding help that Tony realised he had been stabbed in the neck and head.

"The doctors said I was lucky to be alive," said Tony, who is still recovering from the wounds today,

"They missed my windpipe and my major arteries. It could have been a lot worse for me."

Doctors had to glue the wound to Tony's neck back together. Thankfully the attackers missed his windpipe and main arteries.

Tony said he struck up a conversation with the woman in Wellingborough Road because he genuinely felt sorry for her. But he now believes their chat was just a ploy to reel him in.

It was shortly after saying goodbye on good terms, the woman and a man attacked him.

Tony said: "I was walking back towards town when all of a sudden I felt this massive bang on my head. It knocked me for six."

"I ended up on the floor and this guy appeared. He was with the woman and the way they were talking made me think they were in a relationship.

"Then he started swearing at me. He was shouting 'give me your wallet, give me your wallet'."

But Tony couldn't reach the wallet as, lying the way he was, he could not pull it out of his back pocket.

Ironically, he was trying to get up to give them the item, but they continued beating him and grabbing for his phone in his front left pocket.

Though Tony admits he had drunk 'a few beers' that night, he was determined not to let them have his phone as it was brand new.

But as the attack carried on Tony began running out of steam.

It was only when a taxi driver in a Toyota Prius pulled alongside that they 'pegged it', said Tony.

"It was only then I went back down the Wellingborough Road (towards town). I was asking for help and these lads stopped.

"One of them said to me 'oh my god your throat ahs been slashed, you've been stabbed'.

Because of the adrenaline coursing through his veins, Tony had no idea he had been stabbed and was bleeding heavily each time he talked.

The men called paramedics and Tony was taken to Northampton General Hospital.

Astonishingly, yesterday, the dad-of-two was back at work although he admits being in 'agony'.

Now he just wants to see his attackers caught.

The man who attacked him was white, 6ft 2inches tall with a muscular build and short, cropped, dark hair.

The woman was also white, 5ft 5 inches with a slim build. She was in her late 20s and had shoulder length, dark brown, greasy, wavy hair. She was described as 'plain looking' and had a Northampton accent.

Tony also recalls the male attacker calling her 'Rachel'.

If you witnessed the incident, call police on 101, quoting incident number 43 of June 10.