Rugby star battered in street attack (From Bournemouth Echo)

It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

The fact that Bournemouth lost of their matches heavily is neither here nor there, is it?

The focus should be on helping Ben and the police find the attackers.

Lovely town after dark ! NOT . Groups of men wandering the streets Tanked up to the hilt !! You can bet BOOZE will be in all of this somewhere .

BigAlfromsunnyBourne
mouth wrote:
It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

So if I hit someone over the head with a rolled up newspaper that would qualify as attempted murder?

Oh, our wonderful vibrant nightlife which the club owners and councillors are always so keen to promote.

Keep well clear of the town at night, it is awash with violent scum and villains.

I regularly walk through Boscombe at night but you won't catch me wondering through Bournemouth town centre at night, I have a healthy respect for my physical well being. I also wonder what happened to the CCTV. Old Christchurch road is saturated with cameras.

What, trouble at Walkabout? Who'd have though that reputable establishment would experience such things? I am shocked and suprised.

Why does it take a month for this story to break cover?

Fingers crossed the police find and prosecute the scum.

Bournemouth town centre is clearly a place to stay away from!

rudolph hucker should read articles carefull before passing comment and should also keep abreast with developments over the past 2 years.This incident did NOT take place in Walkabout it could not have been as a result of something that happened in Walkabout as the victim had not even entered the premises when he was assaulted and there is nothing to suggest that his assailants had come from Walkabout.Walkabout was closed down a couple of years back and following a complete overhaul of its security and management it reopened and wne an award for being a well run and safe environment

Oldcastle wrote:

BigAlfromsunnyBourne

mouth wrote:
It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

So if I hit someone over the head with a rolled up newspaper that would qualify as attempted murder?

I think you know full well what he means, poor attempt at humour there.

Kicking a person when they are on the floor as would seem to have been the case here should be punished heavily.

I too would think twice about going into Bmth town centre at night

Arthur Maureen wrote:

Oldcastle wrote:

BigAlfromsunnyBourne


mouth wrote:
It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

So if I hit someone over the head with a rolled up newspaper that would qualify as attempted murder?

I think you know full well what he means, poor attempt at humour there.

Kicking a person when they are on the floor as would seem to have been the case here should be punished heavily.

I too would think twice about going into Bmth town centre at night

Actually, there was no attempt at humour, I was simply pointing out how absurd BigAlf's comment was. Why do you think I "know full well what he means"? Does he mean something other than what he says? If so, how can you, or I tell?

Oldcastle wrote:

Arthur Maureen wrote:

Oldcastle wrote:

BigAlfromsunnyBourne



mouth wrote:
It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

So if I hit someone over the head with a rolled up newspaper that would qualify as attempted murder?

I think you know full well what he means, poor attempt at humour there.

Kicking a person when they are on the floor as would seem to have been the case here should be punished heavily.

I too would think twice about going into Bmth town centre at night

Actually, there was no attempt at humour, I was simply pointing out how absurd BigAlf's comment was. Why do you think I "know full well what he means"? Does he mean something other than what he says? If so, how can you, or I tell?

I think it is very clear that he doesn't mean "with a rolled up newspaper". I don't think he should have to spell it out but perhaps he needs to write "actual bodily harm involving an attack to the head" or "attack to the head with serious risk of harm".

Adrian XX wrote:

Oldcastle wrote:

Arthur Maureen wrote:

Oldcastle wrote:

BigAlfromsunnyBourne




mouth wrote:
It's long overdue that ANY attack on the head is classed as attempted murder.

One thing that does bother me, did the CCTV cameras record this attack and if not, why not as I thought the town centre was comprehensively covered.

Let's hope that these cowardly scum are caught as soon as possible and put away.

So if I hit someone over the head with a rolled up newspaper that would qualify as attempted murder?

I think you know full well what he means, poor attempt at humour there.

Kicking a person when they are on the floor as would seem to have been the case here should be punished heavily.

I too would think twice about going into Bmth town centre at night

Actually, there was no attempt at humour, I was simply pointing out how absurd BigAlf's comment was. Why do you think I "know full well what he means"? Does he mean something other than what he says? If so, how can you, or I tell?

I think it is very clear that he doesn't mean "with a rolled up newspaper". I don't think he should have to spell it out but perhaps he needs to write "actual bodily harm involving an attack to the head" or "attack to the head with serious risk of harm".

I don't agree. Attempted murder is more to do with mens rea (the criminal intent) than the actus reus (the act itself). Until the assailants are interviewed, we cannot know that death was intended (necessary for the attempted murder conviction). If murder was not intended, perhaps a charge of gbh or similar is in order. Whatever, I hope these people are caught and locked up for a long time.

Bournemouth like many Town or City centres is not a safe place to go. If you put thousands upon thousands of drunk people in a small area fights will break out. Walk in a dual carriageway sooner or later you will get hit by a car, walk around Bournemouth at night sooner or later you will get hit, see one of your mates hit, or witness acts of violence. It shouldn't happen but alcohol is a powerful drug, it makes people aggressive. Wander around at the weekend, at any one time you won't see more than a dozen police, outnumbered 1000's to 1. The area is covered by cameras, but they can't point in every direction. The venues open all night, there are still fights at 6.00am when the two next to Walkabout kick out. The Council Members who allowed all this to happen should be forced to stand outside those venues all night. Failing that why can't any of our quality echo reporters go out and video the carnage?

Bournemouth like many Town or City centres is not a safe place to go. If you put thousands upon thousands of drunk people in a small area fights will break out. Walk in a dual carriageway sooner or later you will get hit by a car, walk around Bournemouth at night sooner or later you will get hit, see one of your mates hit, or witness acts of violence. It shouldn't happen but alcohol is a powerful drug, it makes people aggressive. Wander around at the weekend, at any one time you won't see more than a dozen police, outnumbered 1000's to 1. The area is covered by cameras, but they can't point in every direction. The venues open all night, there are still fights at 6.00am when the two next to Walkabout kick out. The Council Members who allowed all this to happen should be forced to stand outside those venues all night. Failing that why can't any of our quality echo reporters go out and video the carnage?

Unfortunatley, according to the planning people, pubs, clubs and bars attract tourists and bring money into the town. They also bring scumbags.
It's too late to do anything much about it now - shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.
Stop the late licensing and discourage these people from coming to the town.
I hope his injuries aren't so bad he cant get back to playing soon..

Here we go again.. another drunken assult and serious injury which now seems to happen on a weekly basis usually in the early hours of the weekend in Bournemouth Town Centre.

An unwanted and uncontrolled pattern of violence every week - is it going to take an innocent dead person lying in the street before any action is taken to combat these types of incidents.

Police presence required top and bottom of Old Christchurch Road through out the night is the only answer.... whoops! we have just laid most of them off or reduced their hours.

dommyball wrote:
Here we go again.. another drunken assult and serious injury which now seems to happen on a weekly basis usually in the early hours of the weekend in Bournemouth Town Centre. An unwanted and uncontrolled pattern of violence every week - is it going to take an innocent dead person lying in the street before any action is taken to combat these types of incidents. Police presence required top and bottom of Old Christchurch Road through out the night is the only answer.... whoops! we have just laid most of them off or reduced their hours.

Perhaps the invaluable late night revellers we call 'tourists' should start to pay for additional security?

Dont drop litter wrote:
Unfortunatley, according to the planning people, pubs, clubs and bars attract tourists and bring money into the town. They also bring scumbags.
It's too late to do anything much about it now - shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.
Stop the late licensing and discourage these people from coming to the town.
I hope his injuries aren't so bad he cant get back to playing soon..

Much as I supported the 2003 licensing act when it came out (I thought it would be nice to stay in the pub at the weekend a bit later than 23:00), I have changed my mind and I think it should now be scaled back.

The effect it has had is for the clubs and bars appealing to a very narrow age range and encouraging heavy drinking to stay open until dawn - something which doesn't happen in most of Europe nor most of America. I think a scaling back until 2 or 3 am would be a good idea.

Before someone suggests that I think people "should be in bed" by that time: I don't. People can party on at home. Even if they get more drunk there, they are less likely to be in stressful situations which can cause conflict and lead to violence. And it will save them money too - concerns about methanol aside, that litre of absinthe they bought in Minsk was probably under a fiver.

I know that the police have no issue with late night bars, but would like to see it changed to last entry at midnight. If you leave a bar after that time its to go home, would stop drunk people trying to get in everywhere and make it easier for the police to move people on. I still believe we should go back to last bar open at 1am and nightclubs until 3am, no need for so many places open until silly hours, just encourages people to stay at home and get blind drunk on the cheap first, then head into town in a sorry state. I remember when i first started drinking in Bournemouth, you had to be in bars by 8pm to get in otherwise you were queuing, then come 1am kebab and on the way home, that seemed plenty late enough for me, then the odd house party, or back to 'someones' house if you had got lucky!!!

Rugby players ay?

Had a little drink sir?

maybe time to draw the line!

And this is the environment witless idiots were bleating elsewhere that familes will be attracted to - as soon as the cinemas are moved out of Westover Road and into the new complex at the old bus station.

There is no punishment.
This is partly the reason the yob element rule.
Bring back capitol punishment, including the death sentance, and standardise the punishments for all crimes across GB, including statutory jail terms for varous offences.
And, most importantly, if convicted, no matter the age, publicise the ofenders details, why does the Law protect the offender?

And, most importantly, if convicted, no matter the age, publicise the ofenders details, why does the Law protect the offender?

Because in a modern democracy even offenders have some rights. If their details are published then there is a danger of vigilante attacks against them. I'm all for them being punished hard by the state but I don't support revenge attacks by members of the public.

Quite agree with 'tricky'. Stop the supply of alcohol and return some kind of decency back to Bournemouth. You only have to look at someone the wrong way and if they are drunk and that sort of person then your likely to get lumped. Its an absolute disgusting place in the early hours of the weekends and while the majority of people behave most of them are far too drunk. (I see it first hand!) Perhaps it would be too much to ask the council to lead the way in this country and put a stop to this way of life and get the streets cleared by a decent hour. Its seems these days everything revolves around alcohol and most violent crimes begin with consuming too much of the stuff. Until positive action is taken sadly this story is just more chip paper for tomorrow.

Sadly this is a weekly occurence of a once Proud Town now littered with seedy bars and Clubs all night Kebab houses etc etc all of these given licences with the councils blessing and in turn have attracted the lowest of the low in the form of Criminal Gangs, Violence, Drugs,Robbery and Muggings etc etc Its absolutely Disgusting that people are attacked in this way for no apparent reason Bmth is virtually a no go area for decent Law abiding people with no one it seems Council or Police to have The Balls to inflict a Zero Tolerance on these lowest of the low life And for Visitors to Bmth Please beware it is most definitely not the Safe Town that the Council Portrays Night or Day.

It's no better in most other towns. There's a massive market for getting people blindly, roaring, anaesthetically drunk. They are hopeless, deep down. Sad and angry that they don't have the opportunities promised them, nor those that were apparently easily available only half a generation before. If you do well at a good school, unless you've got the foresight that you'll have the means to service a 5 figure student loan debt right off the bat, you're not going to get a decent-paying job that you might enjoy. Even then - you've no hope - no hope, of buying a house, where you can be secure enough to happily raise a family and give them enough to eat and time with you, and excursions and holiday and what was only a few years ago, seen as a basic happy family life. Take away any of those 'essentials' - the stability of employment, of housing, of stable prices of food and fuel, and stable wages that keep pace with it, and you're setting up for massive amounts of misery and anger. And hopelessness. Loss of self-esteem, self-respect, and respect for other people. What do people do when this emotional burden is placed upon them, year after fruitless year ? They drink, or they take drugs, they lash out, and they try to expel these negative feelings or shut them down. 10, 15 pints, cheap foreign booze from the grubby little shops. It's not an Agatha Christie mystery trying to work out what, oh what has become of us.
We've been done up like a kipper in a little wooden box, shoved into a corner with less and less, and it's coming apart at the seams. People really don't have any to lose - certainly no collective sense of society - no place in it, no chance to get on. Drink, fight and cry, in that order, over and over.
Where's the hope, where are the opportunities, where are the jobs ?Where's all the money gone ?
People in work are working harder and longer than ever. Look at your mortgage statement. You're working 3 days out of five to pay for your house, whereas everyone else only ever had to work one. There's 40% less going round - it's all going to the banks, and they're keeping it. The historic hole in our society just keeps growing and it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Mike Pickering, you appear to be on the wrong forum.

This is the place for knee-jerk Daily Mail sponsored ranting, not reasoned debate about cause and effect.

Mike Pickering wrote:
It's no better in most other towns. There's a massive market for getting people blindly, roaring, anaesthetically drunk. They are hopeless, deep down. Sad and angry that they don't have the opportunities promised them, nor those that were apparently easily available only half a generation before. If you do well at a good school, unless you've got the foresight that you'll have the means to service a 5 figure student loan debt right off the bat, you're not going to get a decent-paying job that you might enjoy. Even then - you've no hope - no hope, of buying a house, where you can be secure enough to happily raise a family and give them enough to eat and time with you, and excursions and holiday and what was only a few years ago, seen as a basic happy family life. Take away any of those 'essentials' - the stability of employment, of housing, of stable prices of food and fuel, and stable wages that keep pace with it, and you're setting up for massive amounts of misery and anger. And hopelessness. Loss of self-esteem, self-respect, and respect for other people. What do people do when this emotional burden is placed upon them, year after fruitless year ? They drink, or they take drugs, they lash out, and they try to expel these negative feelings or shut them down. 10, 15 pints, cheap foreign booze from the grubby little shops. It's not an Agatha Christie mystery trying to work out what, oh what has become of us. We've been done up like a kipper in a little wooden box, shoved into a corner with less and less, and it's coming apart at the seams. People really don't have any to lose - certainly no collective sense of society - no place in it, no chance to get on. Drink, fight and cry, in that order, over and over. Where's the hope, where are the opportunities, where are the jobs ?Where's all the money gone ? People in work are working harder and longer than ever. Look at your mortgage statement. You're working 3 days out of five to pay for your house, whereas everyone else only ever had to work one. There's 40% less going round - it's all going to the banks, and they're keeping it. The historic hole in our society just keeps growing and it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Democratic states have their failings I don't really think elections and changes of leadership will make any difference for the forseeable future in this country. All the politicians, illegal immigrants and benefits cheats in this country are all on the same side in reality gorging them selves until they cant walk from the same old pig trough being filled up by the hard working tax payers....how about trying a good old fashioned dictatorship to sort it all out? I wouldn't mind..now who could be the right person for the job? Boris?...well you got to laugh otherwise you'd just cry!

To Mike Pickering I would say that your politically inspired comment is an outrageous insult to the vast majority of law abiding people who do not go out and get smashed out of their heads on drink and drugs. There is simply no excuse for such bad behaviour.

To those disagreeing with me regarding the charges brought, if you get somebody's head and repeatedly smash it against a kerbstone, which is what happened here, you must be aware that death is a likely outcome so in my opinion the intent to kill exists.

For all you people 'who wouldnt go into the town centre after dark' I do reguarly and have never been the victim of an unprovoked attack, I have however seen groups of larey rugby players in packs which makes me think this guy and his friend were probably just as 'tanked up' as anyone else and that it probably wasnt unprovoked at all more a fight in which they came off worse, hope he gets well soon .

I too am a law abiding person who does not go out and get smashed out of my head on drink and drugs, and I don't see what's offensive about my analysis of the economy and of the currently trending attitudes of disenfranchised people.
It certainly wasn't political in any party political sense; the causes of this situation don't lie in abstract left or right wing policies and what I said was not intended to be propose either outlook over the other. We are in the midst of a massive societal, generational problem caused by the greed of banks and individuals which has ballooned housing costs into a massive tumourous blight on us all, which destabilised the global economy and shredded the ambitions of 10s of millions of people who should be entering the work force and the housing market, but who cannot do so, and neither can they reap the benefits of security and societal identity that come along with it. The number of people affected like this has a toxic effect of everyone else. I'm sorry if you find this offensive that I say it, I suggest you get a thicker skin or reread what I wrote until you understand what I meant.

To BH1 loyal...

1) Read the article... he wasn't within a 'group of larey rugby players in a pack' he was actually on his own with one other companion for company... assaulted by a group of men and women...

2) Spend any time within a rugby club and you will learn very quickly that most people involved are actually friendly giants, who leave their aggression on the pitch... And the last thing they want on a night out is trouble, just a good night out celebrating their previous endeavours on the pitch.

I too have had many nights out in town and when conversing with other like minded people, it is actually those from rugby clubs who show the most respect and politeness!

He admitted that,when told off for looking at someones girl friend,he said they were ugly,then wonders why he got punched,although it went too far.No excuse for the violence but making the remarks he did make,is asking for trouble.