Cyclist assaults man in car park : Townsville

'Townsville Bulletin 17Aug 06' (http://tinyurl.com/earsk)


Cyclist assaults man in car park
By MALCOLM WEATHERUP
17aug06
VIOLENCE can happen in the most unexpected places and circumstances, a
lesson an Aitkenvale man found out the hard way this week.

Last Monday afternoon when 58-year-old Stewart Wood was approached in
the Rising Sun Coles car park by a man about his own age on a pushbike,
he didn't think anything of it.

But a moment later, Mr Wood was reeling from a sudden, unprovoked 'and
bloody hard' punch to his face.

"The only reason I didn't go down was that the force of the blow
knocked me back against a railing which I was able to grab," Mr Wood
said.

Mr Wood had passed the man on the bike in the car park, who he said was
just standing to one side.

"I didn't get any closer than a couple of metres to the bloke, who
wasn't moving anyway, there wasn't any issue between us.

"I waited for a car to reverse out, parked, and was walking to the
store when I heard someone yell out 'have you taken your pills today,
mate?'

"I thought it must be someone I knew having a joke, but when I turned
this bloke was coming towards me, yelling out 'I'm a f..... cyclist and
you tried to kill me," Mr Wood said.

"Just as I was starting to ask what was going on, he lunged at me –
sort of like a crocodile lunges – and punched me hard in the mouth."

The man fled on his bicycle but the assault was witnessed by an
off-duty security guard who tried to catch the man. The assailant
escaped in the traffic on Ross River Rd.

Mr Wood told police what had happened, and then was treated for a split
lip, which needed three stitches.

"The shock was all the more because the bloke was about my age, in his
mid to late 50s, with a wispy beard, wearing a bike helmet, about six
feet tall, wearing a dark shirt, long trousers and hiking boots – his
bike was a dark, greyish colour," Mr Wood said.

Police have the man's description, but Mr Wood said because of the
unusual aspect of the assault, unlike others where 'the usual suspects'
can be interviewed, it might be difficult to find the man.

------------------------------------------------

Its nice to have one side of the story so graphically portrayed.

The carpark where this happened is the meeting place for most
club/bunch rides in Townsville. There is always lots of "bike" traffic
in the area.

With only half the story we dont know if an incident happened blocks
away and he was chased down or what.

Resisting the temptation to have a big whinge about Townsville crap
drivers ........

Look out, they are out there and they are looking for you.

Cheers

Hugh


--
HughMann

HughMann Wrote:
'Townsville Bulletin 17Aug 06' (http://tinyurl.com/earsk)


Cyclist assaults man in car park
By MALCOLM WEATHERUP
17aug06
VIOLENCE can happen in the most unexpected places and circumstances, a
lesson an Aitkenvale man found out the hard way this week.

Last Monday afternoon when 58-year-old Stewart Wood was approached in
the Rising Sun Coles car park by a man about his own age on a pushbike,
he didn't think anything of it.

But a moment later, Mr Wood was reeling from a sudden, unprovoked 'and
bloody hard' punch to his face.

"The only reason I didn't go down was that the force of the blow
knocked me back against a railing which I was able to grab," Mr Wood
said.

Mr Wood had passed the man on the bike in the car park, who he said was
just standing to one side.

"I didn't get any closer than a couple of metres to the bloke, who
wasn't moving anyway, there wasn't any issue between us.

"I waited for a car to reverse out, parked, and was walking to the
store when I heard someone yell out 'have you taken your pills today,
mate?'

"I thought it must be someone I knew having a joke, but when I turned
this bloke was coming towards me, yelling out 'I'm a f..... cyclist and
you tried to kill me," Mr Wood said.

"Just as I was starting to ask what was going on, he lunged at me –
sort of like a crocodile lunges – and punched me hard in the mouth."

The man fled on his bicycle but the assault was witnessed by an
off-duty security guard who tried to catch the man. The assailant
escaped in the traffic on Ross River Rd.

Mr Wood told police what had happened, and then was treated for a split
lip, which needed three stitches.

"The shock was all the more because the bloke was about my age, in his
mid to late 50s, with a wispy beard, wearing a bike helmet, about six
feet tall, wearing a dark shirt, long trousers and hiking boots – his
bike was a dark, greyish colour," Mr Wood said.

Police have the man's description, but Mr Wood said because of the
unusual aspect of the assault, unlike others where 'the usual suspects'
can be interviewed, it might be difficult to find the man.

------------------------------------------------

Its nice to have one side of the story so graphically portrayed.

The carpark where this happened is the meeting place for most
club/bunch rides in Townsville. There is always lots of "bike" traffic
in the area.

With only half the story we dont know if an incident happened blocks
away and he was chased down or what.

Resisting the temptation to have a big whinge about Townsville crap
drivers ........

Look out, they are out there and they are looking for you.

Cheers

Hugh
Yep, sounds like a case of "I didn't do anything Mum, he just hit me.
Really I didn't do anything".

Then again, it really could have been an unprovoked assualt. There are
crazy people out there on bikes, on foot and in vehicles.

Who knows? The media is not about information, it is about
entertainment in order to sell newspapers etc which in turn attracts
the advertising $.

Rant ends.

SteveA


--
SteveA