THE alleged attack on a 20-year-old man in the city this weekend has left many people in the city in shock.

Already dozens of readers have wished the injured man well on the Worcester News Facebook page.

But the most touching message was posted by his mother, Tina Holmes, on her own Facebook page.

She told friends and family of her heartbreak at the attack and shared the seriousness of Jake’s current condition.

He is suffering from a fractured skull and bleeding to his brain.

Such a situation would appear to give ammunition to those who would argue that our city, and indeed the wider society in general, is beoming a more violent, more unsafe place in which to live.

But the fact that these incidents still have the power to shock and provoke such a reaction among us – whether through social media or more traditional news outlets – surely means such stories are not yet so commonplace that we turn away, indifferent to them.

And that surely, has to be a reason for hope.