Victim holds back assailant and walks away.

A 20-year-old Honiton man was the victim of an attempted mugging in the town last night (Monday).

He was assaulted by a man in an alleyway, who demanded he hand over his electricity meter key.

The victim, who has yet to report the incident to police, told the Midweek Herald: “I had just come out of Budgens at around 6.15pm and was walking along with my electric key in my hand.

“I walked down an alleyway between High Street and Silver Street and a guy called out to me.

“He said ‘Oi!’.

“I turned around and he said ‘Give me the electric key’.”

The victim says the stranger then lunged at him, scratching his forehead, and tried to grab the key out of his hand.

“I held him back and walked away,” the victim told the Herald.

The Herald has urged the man to report the incident to police as such incidents are almost unheard of in Honiton.

The assailant is described as white, 5ft 10ins, of a skinny build and with crew cut hair.