This Is Guernsey

By Joel de Woolfson

James Green is having X-rays of his nose and cheekbone taken today after being attacked from behind on Saturday. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0571470)

A teenager was left with a suspected broken nose and damaged cheekbone after being assaulted by two men while up to 20 other youths watched.

James Green, 19, was attacked at the basketball court at the Bouet at about 11.15pm on Saturday. He had been involved in an argument with another man who, Mr Green said, was being encouraged to start a fight by the youngsters.

Mr Green said someone had pushed the man into him and the two began to fight on the floor before another man came at him from behind and rained punches on his face. ‘He came in from behind and just hit me with punch after punch,’ he said.

Mr Green only remembers the start of the fight and then sitting with a friend afterwards.

‘My friends had to tell me what had happened,’ he said.

‘I just remember how it kicked off because this guy had said he could spark me out then sitting down with my mate afterwards trying to calm down.

‘My nose was bleeding and I had to crack it back into place. I still don’t know if it’s broken. I have to go for an X-ray on Monday so they can look at my nose and cheekbone.’

Mr Green said he had never seen eye-to-eye with the man with whom he had argued, but there had not been violence before.

‘This sort of thing is just so pointless,’ he said. ‘If everyone else hadn’t egged the situation on I think it would have just died down.’

He was taken to hospital after the assault and spoke to police as soon as he could.

‘I decided to speak to the police because I don’t deserve someone coming up from behind and attacking me,’ he said. ‘That’s the thing that has annoyed me most.’

Mr Green, who doesn’t live on the estate but spends time there most weekends, said friends had been given the name of the second attacker.

‘Most of the people down there were around my age. We hang out there every weekend and it never normally kicks off,’ he said.

‘The Bouet has a bad reputation but I don’t think it deserves it. This was just an isolated incident, but it was stupid.’

One man was arrested last night and questioned.

‘He has been interviewed and our investigations are continuing,’ a police spokesman said.

‘We would ask that anyone who witnessed this incident come forward and speak to us.’

Anyone with information should contact PC Walker on 725111.