Man says he's 'lucky to be alive' after gang attacked him and stole £3,000 bike
A man who was attacked on his own doorstep by a gang who wanted to steal his £3,000 bike says he was lucky to survive.
The thugs surrounded Craig Pickering, but he managed to break free and cycle back to his house. However, the gang got a hold of him again and and repeatedly hit him on the back of his head with something hard and a wheelie bin. The thugs, who were all riding electric bikes, then fled with his Trek Remedy 8, worth £3,300, as he lay bleeding heavily from his wounds before briefly losing consciousness on the street.
Craig had to have seven staples in his head after he was attacked (Craig Pickering/BPM Media)
Craig said his bike was his 'pride and joy' (Craig Pickering/BPM Media)Craig, who lives in Kingstanding, Birmingham, says when he woke up he was surrounded by his worried neighbours and a female driver who stopped and managed to stem the bleeding. Paramedics took him to Good Hope Hospital where his wounds were stapled together.
The case maker, who has a partner and two stepdaughters, said he thought he as lucky to be alive after the horrific attack. He said: "There's some horrible people out there. I'm glad I was home alone – it could've been a lot different if the girls had been here – they could have been caught up in it."
Craig told Birmingham Live: "My bike was my pride and joy. I don't drive, I cycle to work in Nechells. I've cycled every day of my life and it's all been taken away from me." He said he now knows the gan were lying in wait for him, and had been watching him prepare his bike for the trip through the front window blinds before he left the house around 4pm on Friday.
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He said: "I went down my pathway, turned the corner and two of them went past me on electric motocross bikes. I went past them and then all of a sudden, seven of them came on these bikes and blocked me off. I broke free and made it back to my house and just about got my bike halfway through the front door but I had to let go because I was being battered.
"They hit me around the back of my head with something hard and they picked up my big black wheelie bin and hit me on the back of my head. They were aiming for my head all the time. I collapsed and when I came around, everyone was people were around me. My neighbours came out and a young lady was driving past and she stopped and assisted me."
He had seven staples inserted in his head wounds and is now unsure if he will return to cycling. He said: "I'm still apprehensive about getting another bike. I feel like it's all been taken away from me. Thank you to the police, too."
A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We're investigating after a man was attacked by a gang who then stole his mountain bike in Kingstanding. It happened on Homerton Road at around 4.15pm on Friday. The victim needed hospital treatment and was understandably left shaken by the nasty attack.
"Our robbery team from Stechford police station has been in touch with the victim to update him on the investigation, and are carrying out CCTV enquiries. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch, quoting 20/1043687/23."
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