Cyclist pushed into lake in Birmingham park by laughing youth

A cyclist has spoken of how he was pushed into a lake in a Birmingham park, with his assailant laughing at him as he shoved the rider.

The assault happened at Blackroot Pool in Sutton Park, Sutton Coldfield at around 4.30pm on Thursday 18 February, reports Birmingham Live.

The victim, 46 year old supply teacher Dominic Tooze, said that as he was riding through the park, a youth jumped up from a bench and pushed him, as well as his bike, into the water.

Mr Tooze sustained a deep cut in his hand as a result of the assault and had to go to hospital the following day for a tetanus jab.

His assailant, plus another person the teenager was with, ran off. A woman helped Mr Tooze out of the water, while a man fished his bike and bag out of the lake.

“It was so stupid, immature and thoughtless,” he told Birmingham Live. “I was cycling by Blackroot Pool, going anti-clockwise and the path narrows.

“This guy just appeared from nowhere, off a bench. It happened so quickly.

“He ran out in front of me laughing then actually grabbed hold of my bike and pushed it with me on it into the lake.

“By the time I had got out he had gone. I swam a bit and got out as it was shallow near the edge.

“A lady saw me who was nearby on the next bench. She came over the edge of the water and helped me.

“Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen me being pushed in but said he had been sat on a bench waiting with his mate.

“Whoever it was knew exactly which spot was best to do it,” he added. “There was no way of me getting past him.”

Elsewhere in the city, last year there was a spate of assaults on bike riders on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, including a woman who was pushed into a canal by a group of youths and who subsequently said that other women had come forward to tell of similar attacks.

> Teen gang is pushing female cyclists into Birmingham canal