MINDLESS ATTACK
Man caught in ‘path of destruction’ of golf club-wielding gang
WOUNDED but not silenced – the victim of a vicious unprovoked golf club attack has bravely spoken out to bring the thugs responsible to justice.
Ryan Beavis was left unconscious in the street and with blood pouring from his forehead after the assault in Cramlington, Northumberland, last Saturday morning.
The 22-year-old staggered home before being rushed to the A&E department at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.
The savage strike to Ryan’s forehead left him heavily concussed and required 12 stitches to repair.
Speaking just days on from the traumatic ordeal, Ryan has opened up about the ongoing impact of an attack which happened just a few minutes walk away from his home.
He said: “It was quite a nasty flesh wound. I feel okay, I’m still a bit shaken. I can’t think of anything which gave them the reason to do this. It has been a big shock to everybody, and it has angered quite a lot of people. It was traumatic for my family to see us like that.”
Former radiographer Ryan
decided to go for food at the Nisa store on Dewley at about 7am on his way home from a friend’s after a night out.
But as he started walking on the footpath by St Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, he spotted three males wielding golf clubs.
Ryan said: “They were hanging about in my path so I could not really avoid them.
“I was walking past and straight away they started shouting abuse at me, making comments on my hair and stuff like that. I tried to walk away but that’s when they started approaching us. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, I didn’t know if they were going to try and mug us. One of them got right up in my face so I started to push back. “The next thing I know I woke up with blood all around.” Knocked out cold by the ferocity of the blow, Ryan woke up alone on the street after several minutes with blood pouring from the wound on his forehead. He added: “I was in shock, there was a lot of adrenaline going through us from the realisation of what had just happened. “I looked in the mirror at home and I was in a state. “I got angry and went back out to try and find them to ID them, but that’s when I started to feel dizzy and the injury was starting to take hold.” Struggling to maintain consciousness, Ryan made his way back to the Nisa shop where staff quickly helped to stem the bleeding.
Since receiving medical treatment, Ryan posted his story on Facebook in an attempt to reach witnesses who might be able to identify the thugs responsible.
He said: “My head is healing up, it’s starting to bruise and swell.
“I’m just keeping focused on getting through it. I feel okay but it was quite a nasty flesh wound.
“My guess is they are going around smashing things because they are angry about something, and unfortunately I have got in the way of it.
“In my opinion, they were just on a path of destruction. Since posting on Facebook, a lot of people have contacted us and said they saw them smashing things up like bus stops and car windows.
“I wish I had done more to try and defend myself and I have been feeling a bit embarrassed. I have a lot of paranoia now going around the streets.”
Ryan described his attackers as all being in their late teens or early 20s and wearing dark tracksuit bottoms. Two of them were hooded, and one was wearing a dark top. All of them were carrying golf clubs.
Northumbria Police is investigating the incident, and inquiries into the attack remain ongoing.