Dad beaten up in Hackney Road robbery warns others about walking home at night
He had to have his jaw pinned but is now recovering - Credit: Archant
A father-of-four who had his jaw smashed in two places during a terrifying late-night mugging has warned others not to forget about the dangers on Hackney’s streets.
Alan Munday and his family. - Credit: Archant
Broker Alan Munday, of Broadway Market, said despite the gentrification of the borough he believes there is a “dark underbelly” people need to be aware of.
The 46-year-old was waiting for a cab in Hackney Road at 2am on a Saturday night last month when two men walked up behind him.
He recalled: “I turned around and one of them said ‘give me your stuff’. I told them to go f**k themselves but they attacked me and smashed my head on the pavement three or four times. Blood was streaming out of my mouth.”
After wrestling his watch and laptop bag off him, the attackers ran off, leaving a blood-soaked Alan to be taken to the Royal London Hospital by a cab driver. He underwent surgery the next morning and had his jaw pinned in two places.
An X-ray of Alan's jaw. - Credit: Archant
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Thanks to the “brilliant” medical staff Alan is now on the mend, and believes his story can act as a reminder for other people.
“I’ve got four young children under 12,” he continued. “Life would have been so different for them if I’d been stabbed.
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“My wife’s a nurse and said I could have easily been brain damaged. It’s been a bit of a shock.
“I’ve walked home thousands of times and while the area is becoming more gentrified there’s still a dangerous underbelly. I think it’s an issue the public need to be reminded about.
Alan Munday in hospital after being attacked. - Credit: Archant
“So many of my mates were saying they walk home more than me. We’d only been out for a few drinks in Shoreditch
but you forget about the dangers because of the gentrification.
“I moved to the East End in 1998. When we moved here the market consisted of two blokes selling fruit and veg. I remember my brother went in the Cat and Mutton, saw blood on the doorway and walked straight back out.
“The whole area has changed so much – now there’s trendy restaurants and brand new buildings.”
Police could find no trace of the muggers, said to be black men in their 30s. They both had hoods up and their faces covered, and were not captured on CCTV.
