Man Stabbed in "Used Car" Ambush

A man who arranged to buy a used car over the internet was jumped when he went to meet the seller, before being beaten and stabbed in the heart:

The 42-year-old was beaten and stabbed in North Street, Barking, east London, at 3.50pm on July 30, after being lured to the area by the advert for a Volkswagen Golf.

Witnesses saw two men, described as black and believed to be in their 20s, punch, kick and finally stab the victim as they tried to wrestle a bag with around £5,000 in it from him.

He was treated at the scene by air ambulance personnel before being transferred to the Royal London Hospital where he had life-saving surgery.

Detective Chief Inspector Ellie O'Connor, Barking CID, said: "This was a brutal attack on an innocent man who was responding to an online advertisement in good faith.

"We are appealing for anyone who witnessed this attack or who knows anything about it to come forward."

That report is from Yahoo news. The BBC did a version which was far more comprehensive in every way - but left out one of the key details. See if you can spot which one:

Open heart surgery was needed to save a man stabbed in east London after going to buy a car from someone he contacted through the website Gumtree.

The victim, 42, went to Barking to buy a VW Golf advertised on the site.

But he was ambushed, then beaten, kicked and stabbed in the heart, lungs and abdomen, before the £5,000 he was to pay with was stolen.

The car's true owner was unaware it had been offered for sale. Two men have been arrested by police and given bail.

The incident happened on 30 July, but details have just been released by police who are desperate to find more witnesses.

Describing what happened, Det Ch Insp Ellie O'Connor of Barking CID said: "It was broad daylight and a busy area so the gentleman thought he would be safe.

"He could not see the car, so he put in a call to the seller.

"Then he was ambushed from behind and knocked to the floor where he was beaten, kicked and stabbed four times."

Det Ch Insp O'Connor continued: "Thanks to the intervention of a member of the public they ran off.

"The passer-by then gave first aid until the air ambulance arrived."

The victim, from north London, suffered an injury to his heart's pericardial sac and a collapsed lung, among other injuries.

Although expected to recover, he is still too traumatised to discuss the incident, which police described as a "life-changing experience".

Det Ch Insp O'Connor added: "These men were not messing about and it is but for the skill of the emergency services that he survived.

"He will take two months to recover."

Strange, eh?