Man ‘attacked with hammer’ after ‘challenging off-road bikers’

A man was allegedly ‘attacked with a hammer’ after an incident said to have involved ‘dirt bikers’ in a Warwickshire village. The incident happened in Keresley End, a village north of Coventry, on Thursday (June 20).

A man in his 60s was said to have been involved in an altercation following a reported confrontation with a group of men riding dirt bikes in Rathbone Close at 4.10pm. The victim was then allegedly attacked by one of the men, before another attacked him with a hammer.

Jamie Townsend, 35, of Bennetts Road, and Thomas Black, 28, of Hope Close, both of Coventry, charged with aggravated assault. Black was charged with Section 18 wounding with intent.

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Townsend was charged with Section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. Both were remanded in custody pending a court date on July 25 at Warwick Crown Court.

Warwickshire Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward. A spokesman for the force said: “Enquiries are ongoing and we are keeping the appeal open to anyone with information that could assist our investigation. If you can help, especially if you have footage from the area around 4.10pm on Thursday 20 June, please contact us quoting incident 244 of 20 June:

“Online at warwickshire.police.uk/report, anonymously through CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. Or calling the police on 101.”