A MAN was viciously attacked by a masked thug as he walked through Bournemouth Gardens after a night out.

The 30-year-old, who asked to be named just as Kris, was left with nasty facial injuries after the unprovoked assault, and was left further traumatised after his pleas for help were ignored by cab drivers.

Kris was walking towards Bournemouth Square at 12.30am on Sunday March 11 following a night out with friends at Aruba at Pier Approach.

He was level with the Bournemouth Balloon when a group of three or four people, one of whom was wearing a balaclava, walked past him.

Polish Kris, who has lived in Bournemouth for five years and works for a property maintenance company, said he was then struck on the back of the head, in the mouth and on the nose.

He fell to the floor and the group carried on walking towards the pier.

He said: “They didn’t try to rob me or anything, they just walked away. I’m not scared of these people, I would have approached the man that hit me if he had been on his own, but as there was more than one I ran to the Square.”

But as Kris, who was covered in blood, tried to get help, he was further traumatised by three cab drivers, who ignored him as he begged them to call the police.

He said: “For some reason there was no network on my phone. I just wanted to ask someone to call the police for me.

“I saw a queue of taxis, so I knocked on the window and when they saw me they just turned their heads the other way.”

Kris eventually managed to get a phone signal and was able to call a friend who called the police himself, then came to collect him.

Kris, who is still suffering from dizziness and headaches, said: “I’m shocked about the attack, but what upset me was the taxi drivers. I wasn’t drunk, I had maybe three glasses of wine with dinner and it’s not like they had to get involved, but they didn’t even open the window.”

Kris’s friend David Wilson, who came to his aid, also holds a private hire licence, said he was disgusted at the reaction.

He added: “You’re taught that, as a public service you have a duty if you see someone distressed or in trouble you call the police. You don’t have to let them in. The drivers concerned should be ashamed of themselves.”

But John Tye, chairman of Bournemouth Taxi Trade Associations, said cab drivers had learned the hard way to avoid any trouble in the town centre.

He added: “A lot of the drivers are cynical. Was it his blood or was it someone else’s blood? The level of violence on taxi drivers is horrendous.

“It’s damned sad, there’s no two ways about that. It’s the society we live in, we are all distrustful.

“I can’t excuse the behaviour of them not even talking to him, but I can understand it.”

• A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “At approximately 12.30am on Sunday, March 11, we received a report that a 30-year-old man had been assaulted in Bournemouth gardens.

“The unprovoked attack left the victim with minor injuries to his face.

“The offender is believed to be a white man, between 25 and 30 years of age.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Dorset Police in confidence on 101 quoting incident number 11:11 or the free Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.