A mechanic from Burntwood has described the moment he was the victim of a brutal and unprovoked assault on a Christmas night out in Birmingham, which left him with a broken jaw requiring surgery.
Good Samaritan act ends in violent assault
The 28-year-old man claims he was attacked on Saturday, December 13, on the city's famous Broad Street, known as the 'Golden Mile'. He says the violence erupted as he attempted to help calm a disagreement between a group of five or six people.
"I thought they were having a disagreement so I was just being a good person trying to help out, and then I just got clocked from the side - I didn't see it coming," the victim recounted. He described being left scrambling on the floor on his hands and knees before being kneed by his assailant.
Hospital stay and complex surgery
Initially believing his injury was a dislocation, the mechanic was taken to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton. Doctors discovered he had suffered two fractures to his jaw, necessitating urgent surgery the following Monday.
He spent a total of four days in hospital and is now undergoing what he describes as "jaw rehabilitation". The surgery has affected a nerve, leaving him without feeling in his bottom lip, chin, and bottom teeth. He has been told there is a 25 per cent chance the sensation may never return.
"The first couple of weeks I was on pain medication, the pain has subsided now, I just can't chew any hard foods," he added, detailing the ongoing impact of the incident.
Police investigation leads to arrest
West Midlands Police confirmed that a 27-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the assault. The arrest was made following the incident, which was witnessed by two police officers from a distance of around ten metres. The officers approached to disperse the group, but no arrests were made at the scene.
The victim, who was on a night out with friends and moving between venues near Walkabout and Popworld, maintains the attack was completely without cause. "There was no reason for it," he stated. "I'm not the biggest of people, I wouldn't go to a group of people throwing fists."
