Unprovoked

By Emma Sun
A FATHER of two was brutally assaulted near his own home in Cranbourne last Tuesday night.
Winston, who asked for his surname not to be published, suffered serious injuries after the unprovoked attack, which saw him being chased from Cranbourne Station to a house on Camms Road.
After getting off the train at 10.30pm, the 35-year-old noticed a group of young males walking towards him.
“I deliberately didn’t look at them, I deliberately didn’t say anything and I went off the footpath to avoid them because I didn’t want to provoke them,” Winston said.
“I’m looking in the downward direction and out of my peripheral vision I see an elbow coming at my head so I started running from them.”
Two males chased after Winston and he focused on reaching a house.
“My main concern was to get to a house so that someone was going to be able to call an ambulance,” he said.
“I ran to a house, knocked on the front door and that’s the last thing I remember until the ambulance showed up.”
None of Winston’s belongings were stolen.
His injuries were extensive, including a broken nose, two broken cheekbones, a fractured eye socket, a fractured knee, a chipped tooth and cuts and abrasions across his head.
He received more than 30 stitches in his head and cheek.
“From what has been relayed back to me, had it been a smaller person they would’ve been dead,” Winston said.
Winston has no idea who hit him but he noticed one of them carrying a yellow guitar. He estimated their ages to be between late teens and early twenties.
He said this incident had not changed his view towards young people.
“It doesn’t matter what age they are but now, if I was walking by myself and saw a small group of guys, I would walk in a different direction,” he said.
Winston, who is currently looking for work, said he was past being angry and was now focusing on the things that mattered most to him.
“I hope the police have the opportunity to find these people so they don’t inflict this kind of damage on anybody else,” he said.
“The bit that frustrates me is that I missed the dad’s playgroup, which I co-facilitate, for the first time in four years.
“Other than that, my focus is on making sure I do all the right things so I can resume my normal duties in the family and get a job.”
The two main offenders are believed to be of Asian appearance and the other two are said to be of Caucasian appearance.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Senior Detective Paul Spencer at Casey CIU on 9705 3111.