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news
Johan Henriksson following assault (source - Facerbook).PNGCambridge cyclist left bloodied after guided busway assault
A cyclist in Cambridge has spoken of how he was left bloodied after being assaulted by a gang of youths as he rode along one of the city’s guided busways.
Johan Henriksson, aged 33, was riding home from the gym along the off-road route between Addenbrooke’s Hospital to his home close to the city’s railway station at around 5pm on the evening of Thursday 11 January.
Cambridge News reports that the post-doctoral student found his way blocked by a group of youths aged between 16 and 18.
At around 5pm he was heading north along the cycle path connecting the station to Addenbrooke's Hospital when he saw a group of teenagers he estimated were 16 to 18 years old wearing dark clothing.
He said: "Four to five of them were just blocking the route. They were just looking for trouble from whoever.
"I slowed down, they had no lights on and they were blocking the path. We had a discussion. One of the guys was spitting at me."
A fellow cyclist stopped to help him. The pair were able to ride past the youths, but after the other person rode off, the teenagers continued to harass Mr Henriksson.
"We were just cycling away, but these people were still following me and driving into my bike," he said.
"They were pushing me around and I was close to hitting some people on the path.
"At some point things escalated. I don’t really remember what happened. One guy tried to take me down.
"Somehow I fell over. I might have run into the fence.
"I recall being surrounded by them. They were kicking me. They most likely went toward the station after that."
His bike and spectacles were damaged in the incident and he sustained a gash to the head and a swollen hand.
"I’m not that easy to scare,” he said. “
I’ve never seen that much blood in my life coming out of me," he said.
Posting on Facebook, he wrote: “Early Halloween! Or - 5 kids picked a fight with the wrong guy. All white male with bikes on the Addenbrooke’s cycle path. 16-18 my guess … Sounded British.
Other people commenting on the thread believe they have seen the same youths in the area recently, and Mr Henriksson added: "Given they have probably been there for a few weeks, they are clearly amateurs. If something like this happens you don’t do more crime in the same area.
"They just go there to see how far they can push you but this time it just escalated."
A spokesman for Cambridgeshire Constabulary said the force did not have records of any similar incidents, but people with information are requested to call 101 and quote incident number CF0008590118 or make a report on their website.
Alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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30 comments
Specially for those that are advocating violence towards the perpetrators. Are you the prick or balls?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72n_9BtvCdk
Lucky that when I moved to Cambridge recently, I bought a D-lock, although I was hoping to use it to deter bike thieves rather than thuggish youths.
I have never felt unsafe in Cambridge so far, but I much prefer the middle of nowhere in Suffolk, no trouble, virtually no crime, no d-lock needed, no cycle lanes needed and the bike racks aren’t rammed full.
They are basically kids. It's not their fault really, it's the system's fault allows them to commit such actions
Johan is a customer of ours here at Life on a bike. He is a very upbeat guy and I had the
pleasure of selling him his bike and subsequent repair after this incident. I ride the path
that he was attacked on every day. It's a very friendly route with hundreds of cyclists using
it seven days a week. In his own words he said the kids were just messing about and the
cut to his head, although nasty, looked worse than it was. Due to his demeanour he
will get over it quickly. Don't let news like this put anyone off riding their bikes. **it happens.
We have all been there, teenage boys are sometimes just silly little kids full of bravado.
Thank you. For once, the voice of reason. I remember being a teenager, and doing some pretty stupid things (admittedly not assaulting people though) that I am ashamed of now. A mob mentality kicks in sometimes, as does the testosterone. Send my regards to Johan, and wish him a speedy recovery!
Thank you. For once, the voice of reason. I remember being a teenager, and doing some pretty stupid things (admittedly not assaulting people though) that I am ashamed of now. A mob mentality kicks in sometimes, as does the testosterone. Send my regards to Johan, and wish him a speedy recovery!
[/quote]
Will do 3mkru73, kids will be kids, boys will be boys and teens will be teens.
It's not the system, it's testosterone!
I thought we were putting loads of hormones in our livestock/fields/rivers to prevent this kind of thing?
Will do 3mkru73, kids will be kids, boys will be boys and teens will be teens.
It's not the system, it's testosterone!
[/quote]
I think of myself as reasonably left wing, but you are a lunatic.
Man up ... there were only six of them.
Yeah. And all it takes is one of them to pull out a knife and stab you or a little container of acid to spray/throw it all over you and youre pretty much done. Either way, if you survive you'll be scarred for life if not haunted for the rest of it.
by entering confrontation with these youths, you risk becoming another goverment statistic. Judging by the shambles the government has left the MET in, you could be chasing this case for YEARS before you see any sort of meaningful result. CCTV cameras also might not be able to get the face of the youth who stabbed or threw acid on you leading to an extremely light sentance if anything at all and you walk away even more anguished and disappointed.
If it was 20years ago Id be saying "hell yeah, go beat his ass!!" but these days are different, lack of proper parenting and role models means that todays youths are pretty much lawless and all it takes is one of them with a knife or a small container of Acid and you're done.
By not confronting those "youths" you're encouraging their behavior. They assume no one will react against them, therefore they have no qualms about behaving that way.
Eventually your pacifist approach will get you sprayed with acid or stabbed just because they felt like it, regardless of how you behave towards them.
That photo of Mr Henriksson makes him look like Bill Paxton in the promo photos for the film "Near Dark"...
I was thinking Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho...
Which is odd in itself given Lance was in that film. Oh what a film it is. Don't make em like that any more.
One of my favourites (not sure what that says about me...).
Gosh. From some of the vitriolic comments on here you’d think the place was being taken over by Momentum.
Hopefully at least one of the perpitrators gets caught and then they all learn the error of their ways. I think that’s why we have a justice system and not martial law. Little less sure after all the talk of shooting and machetes.
That's weird - i would have thought that the left leaning members of Momentum would be against martial law and corporal punishment. More in line with your average Daily Mail reader at the other end of the political spectrum.
Given that the police - and Cambridge police in particular - don't give a shit about Cyclists, or crimes perpetrated against them, I wouldn't hold my breath that these horrible people face justice.
Well he seems happy enough looking at his picture.
I was once out running with a club and there were some kids jumping out of some bushes trying to frighten people - the club member in front of me was a women - the kids must of thought they were onto a winner - except she was an ex army captain - she decked the first one mostly out of surprise. The others ran off laughing at their mate being put down by a woman. She ran on. Out running or cycling you get picked out by some kids who’ve got nothing more interesting to do mostly it’s just verbal “abuse” but you never know when it might get worse.
How many times do I have to tell you ... cyclists should always go prepared:-
- pump
- tyre levers
- spare inner tube
- selection of tools
- rain jacket
- self-defence machete
Both the perpetrators and the victim were on bikes so all involved were cyclists so how would that help anything?
Hopefully they will pick on the wrong person next and get the shit kicked out of at least one of them meaning they have to go to hospital where the Police take an interest and have to investigate.
What is it with city kids?!
I've seen groups of children throwing stones at traffic and smashing bus stops up etc...
Why can't they be more like countryside kids and spend their time putting hay bales up trees and setting them on fire for a laugh?
for balance I’m happy to spend a little tax money nudging them back on track.
(without shooting or assault)
In a city of great knowledge and education some of the youth have yet to learn some basic decency. They need to be re-educated as quickly as possible, preferably with a D lock across their faces.
Which would make you no better than them.
They were vermin. Don't waste taxpayers money. Shoot the pieces of shit
Probably what they think about cyclists. An eye for an eye, eh, Feck? And soon the whole world is blind.