18th April 2010
Dear Sir,
I went for a long walk today. The sun was shining despite the clouds of dust from the Icelandic volcano and it was warm. I took my rucksack and a spare coat and set off for the Coundon Wedge. You can walk for miles up there in relative peace.
I wandered nearly as far as Brownshill Green and then took Staircase Lane back into Allesley. Then the bridge over the Allesley bypass to Allesley Park. There were lots of people about and well over a hundred in the playground. The ice cream man was doing a roaring trade.
As I walked down Allesley Hall Drive at around 3:45 there were several young men on bicycles going in the same direction. The cyclists went on ahead but one was walking almost alongside me. Suddenly a young man on a bicycle came in the other direction on Allesley Hall Drive and the one walking alongside me stepped into the middle of the road to confront him. The man on the bicycle swerved to avoid a collision and headed towards the kerb and the man on foot grabbed him by his T shirt and bodily swung the cyclist round smashing him against the kerb.
The man fell on top of his bike but was travelling with such momentum that he rolled completely over until the bike was on top of him. He was screaming and shouting in pain, anger and terror. The walker then commenced to kick the cyclist in the head as he lay underneath his bicycle. Three others arrived on their bikes and two of them also kicked the cyclist in the head. He was shouting and screaming for mercy.
I stood face-on to them at a distance of about five metres and watched carefully. I am far too old and frail to risk getting involved but I let them know I was watching and was not going to go away. As they left the original thug shouted “Dirty fucking Pakki”. The man on the ground was probably of Asian origin. They were all aged around 14 years.
The cyclist got up and rapidly departed. I continued my walk and later saw the four youths with three cycles going through the broken fence in the spinney in the Allesley Old Road at Grayswood Avenue. When I reached the spinney they were all sitting in the field at the back of Brookside Avenue near to the spinney and Guphill Brook. They looked as though they were on home turf.
I am prepared to give evidence in court to this effect if that is possible. In seventy years I have never witnessed such a foul and gratuitous display of pure hatred.
Yours Sincerely,
Colin Walker.