Footage has captured the terrifying moment a cyclist was attacked during his morning ride by hammer-wielding yobs.
Patrick Conneely, 33 and from Leyton in east London, was cycling in central London’s Regent’s Park just before 8am on January 18 when he passed two men on a moped.
The pair looked at the data analyst’s £4,200 Trek Domane bike before turning around and following him. He said their inspecting him showed they “knew what they were doing”.
One leapt off the bike and shouted at Conneely: “Give me the f*****g bike.”
The cyclist refused until one of the men took out a hammer and started waving it and threatening him. The thug then grabbed the bike and the pair drove off, holding the bike over their heads.
Patrick Conneely was attacked in Regent’s Park by bike-jackers (Image: Met Police)
This comes after cycle club members, who gather in the London park every day before it opens to cars, reported a series of violent robberies by armed ‘bike-jackers’.
They are now calling on the Met Police to increase park patrols to deter the robbers. The force has insisted it is treating the spate of attacks as a “serious issue” and has introduced more plain-clothes and uniformed patrols.
Afterwards, Mr Conneely walked over to an onlooker who was already calling the emergency services.
He said he has not yet returned to the park.
Conneely told : “I’m reticent about going back. This is a place we go to exercise and it’s right in the centre of London – we should be able to enjoy it safely.
“A lot of people I know are now meeting outside the park to group up before heading in. To me it seems like it can’t be that many people doing it – pulling out a hammer to rob a bike is not opportunistic, it’s people who know what they are looking for.
“A sting by the police – like the one they did on watch robbers in the West End – would be the obvious next step.”
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Chief Inspector John Hine, from the Royal Parks unit, said: “Investigating officers immediately conducted foot patrols to look for witnesses and searched CCTV records.
“However, due to the suspects being masked they could not be identified and no further action could be taken. Officers contacted the victim to explain the outcome, especially in light of the threat of violence used during this incident.
“We do not underestimate the impact such a crime can have and we are assessing whether this offence is linked to other similar incidents, with enquiries ongoing.”
“We have been working hard to curb bike thefts in and around Regent’s Park including patrolling hotspot locations.
“In particular since January, we have stood up additional plain clothes and uniform officers, especially at night and before the park officially opens in the early hours of the morning.
“This is a key priority for the team, and given the violence used in these attacks, we will continue to ensure that we do all we can to put a stop to these crimes.”