Taxi Driver Online

Bristol Evening Post

September 18, 2007 Tuesday

Victim tells of assault on city night bus

A Man says he will never catch a Bristol night bus again after a brutal attack which left him unconscious and bleeding.

Father-of-two Sajid Malik, 42, of Hartcliffe, was on a bus after a Saturday night out when a man sitting in front of him punched him and kicked him several times.

After Mr Malik was taken to hospital with a broken nose and fractured cheekbone, he was told there was no CCTV on the bus to help catch the culprit.

Now the mature student wants police to track down the man who attacked him.

The victim says the ordeal has left him frightened to leave his house.

Mr Malik said: "I'd been to meet my friend in the city centre and we went to Edwards bar, then The Syndicate nightclub.

"At about 1am, we decided to go home on our separate night buses, so I caught mine near the Hippodrome.

"I had only drunk a couple of beers so I was fairly sober, and I sat near the back.

"I started talking to a group of people in front of me, one bloke and two girls. It was basically just chit-chat about how our nights had been, but the man with them turned around and started swearing at me.

"I didn't want to get involved, so I turned my head and looked out of the window.

"When it came to their stop, he must have stood up, then he started punching me in the head and face. I was knocked straight down and everything was a blur.

"I was on the floor of the bus, and he started kicking me in the head, before running off."

The attack was so sudden Mr Malik said he had no time to defend himself.

He said: "It was just unprovoked. He swung for me and the next thing I knew I was lying in a pool of blood.

"It happened so fast that I had no time to react.

"I fell unconscious as I hit the ground and the next thing I knew, I was being treated by ambulance staff."

He needed four stitches on his nose and one on his lip after the attack.

Afterwards police told him there was no CCTV on the N6 night bus, unlike other First buses.

Mr Malik said he could not be sure if there was any racist intent in the attack.

He said: "He didn't say anything of a racist nature but my friends and family have said it sounds like that kind of incident.

"I won't be rushing to catch a night bus again, I will catch a taxi instead. At the moment I am not very motivated to go outside at all."

He said he might need reconstructive surgery on his face.

Mr Malik said the man who attacked him at 1am onSeptember 2, was in his early 20s and had short blond hair.

He was wearing a white T-shirt with black lines on it and jeans.

Avon and Somerset police spokesman Dan Mountain said: "Inquiries are ongoing but no-one has been arrested yet."

Rachel Hicks from First Bus said the company would not comment because it provided the night bus service for the city council. Bristol City Council spokesman Kate Hartas said: "We await the findings of a police investigation and cannot comment further."

Anyone with information should call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
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