POLICE Scotland are appealing for witnesses following an attempted murder in Greenock.
A 20-year-old man is described as being in a "serious but stable condition" in hospital after the incident, which took place on Cobham Street in the Gibshill area of the town.
After being attacked at 10pm on Saturday, the man made his way to Lady Octavia Sports Centre, where an ambulance was called and he was taken to Inverclyde Royal Hospital.
Police have launched an extensive investigation into the incident and are checking nearby CCTV and carrying out door to door enquiries.
Detective Inspector Robert Bowie of Paisley CID said: "Officers working on the investigation are checking all available CCTV and carrying out door-to-door enquiries to identify the person responsible and find out the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"I am appealing to anyone who was on the cycle path or the surrounding area around this time who may have witnessed the attack or saw any suspicious activity to contact the police as a matter of urgency. I am also keen to speak to the person who called the ambulance for the victim.
"We continue to use all available resources at our disposal to investigate this serious incident, and would urge anyone who may have information in connection with the attack, no matter how small they think it is, to contact the police."
Possible witnesses are asked to contact police on 101, quoting the reference number 4253 of January 18, or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here