A CYCLIST who was the victim of a vicious attack in York has relived the horror, saying: “I thought I was going to die”.

Ralph Ensbury said he feared he would be dead or brain-damaged had he not been wearing his bike helmet when his attacker struck.

He said when police arrived his injuries were so bad that one officer thought he had been hit by a car.

The 52-year-old was returning from his shift at the Toby Carvery on Malton Road between midnight and 1am on Sunday, October 10, when he was kicked and punched to the ground.

He has been left with metal plates in his cheekbones and eye sockets, but despite a police appeal his attacker remains at large. Mr Ensbury has now spoken out in the hope that the man will be found before he strikes again.

The attack happened on a cycle path near Yearsley Bridge between midnight and 1am on Sunday, October 10, as Mr Ensbury headed home to Clifton.

He said: “I was cycling down the track and got off my bike underneath the bridge as I had a cramp in my right foot.

“I was kneeling down to get rid of the cramp, and this lad came out from the shadows on my right and asked what I was doing. He started to kick my legs, called me a weirdo and started punching me while I was still on the ground.

“This went on for one or two minutes, and he was punching me on the top and sides of my head, and in my back and ribs too. The next thing I noticed, blood was pouring from my nose.”

Covered in blood, Mr Ensbury managed to pull himself off the ground, as his attacker watched.

He said: “I said ‘I’ve had enough’, and managed to get halfway up using the bridge as support. I turned to look at him, he looked at me, then got on my bike and rode off.”

Mr Ensbury walked to his home in Rowntree Avenue, where his wife June phoned an ambulance.

He said: “The police came with the ambulance and were shocked and disgusted. It was so bad, one of the officers thought I’d been in a car accident. I’ve got two pins and a plate inside my nose, and at the moment I’m finding it hard to breathe. But the doctors did a great job.”

Mr Ensbury said he was going out a lot to get fresh air and was feeling much better, but said he was annoyed no-one had come forward.

He said: “I would urge anyone who knows anything to contact the police before this person causes any more harm to anyone else. He could cause an accidental death. I thought I was going to die.

“It was a good job I had a cycle helmet on, if I hadn’t it could have been a lot worse. I would more than likely be brain-damaged or dead.”


Appeal for help

The attacker was white, about 6ft and thin. He was wearing dark trousers and a black hooded top.

He had a pale brown, medium-sized dog, with the facial features of a pit bull.

Mr Ensbury’s black Gary Fisher Wingra cycle, which had drop-down handlebars, and was missing reflectors from the pedals, was stolen and is worth about £350.

Anyone who has recently got such a bike, or has seen anyone riding one, should phone York CID on 01904 669353.