Police today appealed for witnesses after a 14-year-old foreign language student was robbed in Oxford.

The Taiwanese student had just got off a bus at The Oval in Rose Hill at about 9.15pm on Monday and was walking with a friend towards the shops when they were approached by three men, two of whom were carrying iron rods.

The student was pushed to the floor and held down by one of the men while the others went through his pockets and took his wallet containing £50 in UK currency and 800 Taiwanese dollars, worth about £15. The robbers also took his gold-coloured Sony Ericsson G700 mobile phone.

The first of the three robbers was described as white, in his twenties, about 5ft 11in tall with an average build. He had a goatee beard and was wearing a white sports jacket and a blue baseball cap.

The second man was black, 5ft 11in tall and in his twenties, with a bald head and a goatee beard. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans and was one of the men carrying the iron rod.

The third man was black, 5ft 11in tall and his twenties, with a shaved head and was also carrying an iron rod.

PC Rob Barratt said: “We are very keen to speak to a woman who saw this incident take place. She is described as being in her forties, with brown hair tied back in a pony tail.”

Anyone with information can contact PC Barratt via the Police Enquiry Line on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.