Man beaten by robbers

Concerned about any repetition of violence, the young couple wish to remain anonymous.

The woman said that her husband endured a sustained attack which left him badly bruised and swollen about the head, throat and arms after he was called out in the early hours of Monday morning to a house at Altcar Park in Galliagh. He had been told the premises had been broken into.

While the attackers stole his van, they beat him up before taking the keys rather than ask him to hand them over.

"He told me that he had just arrived and went to the back of the van when three fellows approached him from behind and one hit him on the head with a crowbar. They then started punching him about the head and face and he thinks they were trying to get him on the ground because they were kicking at his legs," she said.

"He said the attack lasted for a good five minutes and he thinks there were three of them. They wanted the van but did not give him time to hand over the keys. They just jumped him. He was terrified and whenever they took the van and drove off he was left there. He said whenever they drove off and he looked up there was someone in the doorway of a house nearby watching him," she said.

The woman said her husband worked all over the City.

Asked what she thought of what had happened, she said: "I am absolutely disgusted. We have a young family and I cannot believe someone would do that to someone out doing an honest day's work. This is ridiculous.

"I think the callout was a hoax and I don't think the house he was called to was broken into because of the fact that they were there with a crowbar. That just makes the whole thing very suspicious to me," she said.

The young mother said her husband currently had two black eyes, was bruised and swollen over hs head, had a sore throat where he had been hit, and had bruising on his arms where he had tried to defend himself. She said he was facing tests because he could not hear properly in one ear.

A PSNI spokesman said: "Police are investigating after a man was assaulted with an iron bar in the Altcar Park area around 1am on Monday, May 24. His van was also stolen. The victim was treated in hospital for bruising and swelling to the head. Three men were involved in the incident. Anyone who was in the area and could identify the men or knows the current whereabouts of the white Ford Transit is asked to contact Strand Road CID on 0845 600 8000," he said.

Alternatively, anyone with information can pass on what they know anonymously through the 'Crimestoppers' charity line on Freephone 0800 555 111.

Meanwhile, Alderman William Hay, said he condemned the attack.

"I know the family extremely well and want to condemn this attack. For anyone to lure an innocent person into an area and then set about beating him and hijacking his van is disgraceful. This was a young man doing a normal day's work and he was faced with people who displayed no regard for him, or for his livelihood. This incident must be totally and absolutely condemned."

Party colleague Maurice Devenney, who lives in Newbuildings said: "This was a brutal attack on a man doing his job. Given the savagery of the assault on him, we could very easily be looking at murder here. This sort of incident has to be condemned and I would urge anyone who knows anything that could help the police, to pass this information on."