Peace campaigner in road rage attack (From Stroud News and Journal)

Peace campaigner in road rage attack

A GENTLE peace campaigner was savagely beaten after urging a motorist to slow down on a dangerous stretch of road.

Farmer and craftsman Paul Griffiths, 60, of Edge was the victim of a vicious, unprovoked road rage attack as he walked home from Whiteshill on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Griffiths gestured for the speeding car to slow down, at which point it stopped and a man jumped out, striding towards him before beating the farmer to the ground.

"I had been waving a stick to slow them down and the next thing I knew someone was running towards me and punching me in the face," said Mr Griffiths. "I don't know how many times I was hit.

"As I got up a woman from the car started shouting at me and hurling abuse, something about having a child in the car."

The couple got back into the car and drove off as Mr Griffiths picked himself up off the floor, discovering he had a nosebleed. He headed for home but as he turned down a lane noticed the car was following him.

The driver stopped, got out again and covered his number plate with a jumper before attacking Mr Griffiths again.

"He picked up a stick and laid into me with that, and with his boots as well," said Mr Griffiths.

The attacker continued to hit Mr Griffiths round the body and head with the stick leaving him with a gash to the side of his head that needed stitches, as well as a black eye and cut eyelid, bruised ribs, hip and shin.

"There was blood coming out of everywhere," he said. "I'm not a violent person, so I was just trying to protect myself."

Acting Sgt Tanya Phillips of Stroud police condemned the assault as a vicious attack that was completely unprovoked and appealed for help to find the offender.

The attacker is described as a white male around 6ft tall with a solid build and short dark hair. He was in his 30s and clean shaven.

The woman was around 5ft 6ins tall, with a proportionate build and long dark hair in a ponytail.

They were driving a silver or grey R-reg Vauxhall, possibly a Cavalier or Vectra, that was driven in the direction of Stroud after the assault.

The incident took place near the junction of the Whiteshill to Edge road with the main A4173 Gloucester road at around 2pm on Saturday. Anyone with information is asked to call Stroud police on 0845 0901234.

Mr Griffiths is a well-known face around Stroud, having fought to save Hill Paul from demolition and for campaigning against war and violence as part of the Stroud Peace Movement.

He said he had been urging motorists to slow down as there were a lot of young children living in the neighbourhood and he was fearful for their safety.