A MAN was struck in the face with the handle of a gun when he stopped to help a young boy in distress on a York street.

The victim suffered serious facial injuries during the incident outside shops in Beckfield Lane, Acomb, at about 6pm yesterday.

A police spokesman said he had stopped his bicycle to come to the aid of a young boy aged about 12, who appeared to be in some distress and was "surrounded" by two youths.

He said the cyclist was then immediately punched in the face.

He was then hit with what appeared to be the handle of a small black pistol.

"The force of the blows caused the complainant to fall to the floor, and the two youths then made off," said the spokesman. He said the youths escaped with a quantity of his cash.

The victim was taken to York Hospital with serious facial injuries.

It is not known whether the pistol was real or fake.

Police said the "main offender" was white, 6ft 2in tall, aged between 16 and 18, of medium build with short, mousy hair.

He was said to have been wearing a blue Adidas T-shirt and dark tracksuit bottoms or jeans.

The second youth was of a similar age, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 9in tall, and was wearing a baseball cap.

A shop worker at Jacksons convenience store in Beckfield Lane said detectives were studying its CCTV footage to discover whether the attackers had gone in there prior to the incident.

Detectives are appealing for any witnesses to come forward and asked that the 12-year-old tell his parents what happened as a matter of urgency.

Anyone with information should phone Det Con Jenny Cartwright at York CID on 0845 6060 247.

Updated: 09:50 Saturday, July 16, 2005