KELLY'S PENIS WAS CUT-OFF AND MISSING.

Pictured: Man whose penis was cut off 'in revenge for sleeping with gypsy's girlfriend'

• 40-year-old found in distressed state at the side of the A66 in Middlesbrough
• Police said he had suffered serious injuries, and wounds to his groin
• It was reported a gypsy gang attacked the man in dispute over woman
• It is understood that his penis was cut off and was missing
• Police sealed off the busy route to search for it
• Man, 22, arrested on suspicion of assault in relation to the incident
• Man named locally as 40-year-old Kelvin 'Kelly' Hewitt
• 'My dad's stable now just hoping for a speedy recovery' - daughter

A man who had his penis chopped off by a gypsy gang has been named locally as Kelvin 'Kelly' Hewitt.

The 40-year-old was mutilated in a horrific attack in the early hours of Thursday morning in Middlesbrough.

He was rushed to hospital and put into an induced coma, but is now conscious and in a stable condition, according to his daughter.

Attack: It's believed that Kelvin 'Kelly' Hewitt (pictured) is the man who had his penis cut off and subsequently placed in an induced coma

Affection: Mr Hewitt's Facebook profile picture shows him kissing a blonde woman

Possible connection: The man was attacked near a gypsy campsite on John Boyle Road on Teesside

Motive: It's thought that the gypsy gang (not necessarily connected to the picture) cut off the man's penis for sleeping with one of their girlfriends

Standstill: Police closed a busy dual carriageway to hunt for a man's penis after he was discovered severely injured at the side of the road

Distressed: The 40-year-old was discovered in a distressed state on the side of the A66 dual carriageway in Middlesbrough on Thursday morning, Cleveland Police have confirmed

Probe: A 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assault in relation to the incident and was released on bail

Police brought a busy dual carriageway to a standstill to hunt for Mr Hewitt's penis after he was discovered severely injured at the side of an A-road.

His daughter, Leanne Trewhitt, 22, wrote on Facebook: 'Think I've felt every emotion there possibly is today, thanks for all your kind messages my phone hasn't stopped. My dad's stable now just hoping for a speedy recovery.'

Her friends have flooded her page with get-well messages.

Cleveland police said: 'The victim remains in hospital and is now conscious. Officers visited him today but were unable to carry out a detailed interview. They hope to speak to him today or tomorrow to establish exactly how his injuries were sustained. Inquiries are on-going.'

Mr Hewitt was discovered in a distressed state on the side of the A66 dual carriageway.

 

He often stays at gypsy campsites in Middlesbrough, including Haven Travellers Site, according to his Facebook page, and recently commented on a meal he ate at a McDonald's on the A66.

Facebook comment: Mr Hewitt recently posted a message about a meal he had at McDonald' on the A66, close to where he was attacked

He joked on March 3 about dreading going to work.

Dr Raj Persad, a consultant urologist, told MailOnline that a new penis could be constructed if the original tissue is lost.

He said: 'The best hope is that doctors have kept the tissue in a viable way so the penis can be reconnected. If the tissue is no longer viable, the options are limited. 

'It may be possible to make a fallus – rather like that created in gender reassignment surgery. Here, tissue expanders can be used to create a flap of tissue that can be rolled into a fallus. The urethra would also have to be reconstructed.' 

A member of staff at Asda close to where the incident happened said he heard that a man had suffered the horrendous injury to his groin.

He added: 'A few of the Asda staff have been talking and apparently it was some gypsy men doing it to another guy after they found out he had slept with one of their girlfriends.

'I don't know his name but that seems to be what I have heard.'

Although police at the time would only say that the man had suffered serious injuries and wounds to his groin area, around eight officers were seen combing a grass verge at the side of the road, while tape was used to seal off a section of the carriageway.

It's believed that they were searching for the missing body part.

Officers search the verge of the dual carriageway for the man's organ and other forensic evidence

A member of staff at Asda close to where the incident happened said he heard the man had suffered the horrendous injury to his groin

Road block: This stretch of the A66 was sealed off by police investigating the incident

The road closed some time between 4.20am and 9am and was open again by midday. The police closed east bound carriageway first while they searched, then west bound.

A 22-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault in relation to the incident was held in police custody on Thursday. He was bailed pending further enquiries.

Mr Hewitt was found at 4.50am and was taken to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough.

Investigation: Officers were said to be 'keeping an open mind' as to how the man was injured

'The road closures were required as part of the investigation into how the man received his injuries,' said a police spokesman.

'This is necessary so that officers can look for anything which may shed light on how he became injured or his direction of travel.'

The police had taped off a Vauxhall Zafira on a nearby gypsy site.

He added: 'If the road was not closed any evidence could be lost or destroyed.'

'Investigations are at a very early stage.'

Missing: It is understood that his penis had been cut off and was missing, prompting officers to close sections of the route in order to search for it

The spokesman added: 'Officers are keeping an open mind as to how he received his injuries and key to this will be speaking to the man himself when they are able to do so.'

A second man who did not wish to be named said: 'I work on an industrial site close to where it happened.

'When I came into work this morning it was bedlam because the whole place was at a standstill.

'Nobody has told us what has happened, we heard there had been a body found and that there had been a stabbing but these could just be rumours.'

'I asked an officer what was going on and he said there was no risk to the public but someone had been seriously injured, they said it was just an individual incident though.'A man who had been walking his dog through the area when police started closing the roads said: 'From what I could gather there had been some sort of stabbing.

A man working in nearby ScS Sofas said: 'There has been a heavy police presence in the area all day, they have been walking around the area and generally chatting to public.

'Lots of people have said there had been a stabbing but that they had heard it from someone else so it was probably just rumours.

'Whatever it was it must have been pretty serious for them to have closed the roads for so long, it was a nightmare getting into work this morning.

'People have been coming in and asking if we knew what had happened but we had no idea either.

'I instantly thought it must have been a road accident seeing as they closed the roads.'

A lady taking her shopping from Asda said: 'I know there has been a man hurt but there hasn't been much else said on the matter.

'There is a lot of gossip about a stabbing but it could just be rumours with a lot of people speculating over what it could be and coming to their own conclusions.'

Two community support officers who were patrolling said a man had been seriously injured earlier today.

They said 'no comment' when asked if a man's penis had been chopped off.

All road closures have now been lifted.