Shocking CCTV is released in hunt for man who punched 18-year-old woman unconscious after she rejected his advances and told him 'sorry, I'm not interested'

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Gabrielle Walsh was attacked on a night out after telling a man she wasn't interested

CCTV has captured the shocking moment a teenager was punched unconscious on a night out after she told a man who was following her: 'I'm sorry, I'm not interested'.

Gabrielle Walsh, 18, was approached by the attacker and two other men when she was out in central Manchester with a friend on Saturday night.

Footage shows the man throwing a punch before Gabrielle falls to the ground as panicked bystanders rush to help.

The college student and her friend, Kyle McKeown, 18, who was also attacked and is seen collapsing onto the road, had tried to walk away from the men, but they kept following and trying to talk to the pair, Gabrielle said.

In an attempt to get the men to go away, Gabrielle told them 'I'm sorry, I'm not interested'.

But her comments sparked a row which led to one of the men turning violent.

Police have now launched an investigation into the incident and are looking to speak to three men who are 'highlighted running from the area' in the CCTV footage.

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Footage shows the man throwing a punch before Gabrielle falls to the ground as panicked bystanders rush to help

Police have now launched an investigation into the incident and are looking to speak to three men (pictured) who are 'highlighted running from the area' in the CCTV footage

Senior Investigating Officer, Constable Ben Lomax, from GMP's City Centre Division said: ‘We have released this shocking footage in the hope it helps us identify those responsible for this appealing and cowardly attack.

‘Clearly, there were numerous people who not only witnessed this attack but will have seen the three men hastily departing the scene shortly afterwards. 

He continued: 'Imagine if you or a member of your family was subjected to this kind of violence? You would quite rightly hope the perpetrators are caught.  

'Do you recognise the three men or the clothes they are wearing? One in particular has a distinctive way of running. Their clothes, too, are quite distinctive.

'Perhaps you saw three people like this earlier on during that evening, or later in the night. If you know something, please get in touch as soon as possible.' 

Gabrielle needed hospital treatment after she was attacked near Canal Street, Manchester

Miss Walsh, pictured before the attack, says she is concerned that women like her will fear going out

Speaking about the incident, Gabrielle said: 'They kept harassing us. I was saying to [my friend] Kyle: "Let's go". Then he hit me - he fully knocked me out. When I woke up I was on the floor and the three of them had jumped on Kyle as well.

The pair were helped by volunteers from the Village Angels community safety group, who provided first aid.

Gabrielle said: 'They tried to get me an ambulance but they said it was a two-hour wait so I just got a taxi to hospital.

'They didn't do much, they basically just gave me some eye drops and told me to go home.

'I went back to the eye hospital today and they said I've got a blood clot on my eye. It still can't really see out of it, when I open my eye all I see is yellow.'

A friend posted images of her injuries and an account of what happened on social media which has since been shared hundreds of times.

The attack unfolded near Manchester's Canal Street on Saturday night

Gabrielle, who said the attack had left her fearful of going out in public on her own, added: 'I'm not a rude person, I just said: "Sorry I'm not interested".

'I think it was a jealousy, ego thing because I rejected him in front of his friends.'

She added: 'Girls feel like they can't say "no". They feel like if they say no then they might hurt you and in this case it was true. It's scared me, I'm scared to go out, I've always got to be with somebody.'

The attacker is described as white, around 5ft 8in tall, and was wearing a pink t-shirt.

Councillor Pat Karney, Manchester City Council's city centre spokesperson, condemned the attack and said he would see if officials can help identify the attacker through CCTV.

Cllr Karney said: 'I am horrified to hear about this horrific attack. 'We will check our CCTV system to see if we can identify the attacker.'