Cyclists left 'deeply fearful' after canal attack

Two men who were attacked while cycling along a canal towpath have said that the incident has left them "deeply fearful".

They were targeted in the Stourton area of Leeds, where John Hoban, 74, was kicked and punched as his bike was stolen, while Paul Laveurt, 68, was knocked off his bike and taken to hospital with cracked ribs.

One of the two suspects involved, Alfie Smith, 20, was jailed for six and a half years at Leeds Crown Court on Monday for the assault and other offences.

Laveurt said: "The physical and psychological toll of these injuries has been severe, slow, and profoundly painful."

The court heard that shortly after 13:00 BST on 19 August, Laveurt and his friend Hoban were riding alongside the Aire and Calder Navigation near Thwaites Lane in Stourton.

They were then approached by two men, one of whom was Smith.

Laveurt was injured when he was pushed from his bike by Smith's accomplice and when Hoban dismounted to help him, Smith told the other man to steal Hoban's bike instead.

They rode off on Hoban's bike and with his saddlebag containing tools, a sat-nav and his wallet.

Following the incident, Laveurt said that it had drastically affected his independence and quality of life.

"The incident has left me deeply fearful and nervous about the prospect of riding my bike again, inducing a lingering anxiety regarding my safety," he said in a victim impact statement read to the court.

"The combination of isolation, loss of my passions, and extreme pain has severely diminished my daily life," he added.

Hoban also provided a statement to the court and said: "I used to do a lot of cycling, but since the incident I find myself constantly looking ahead for suspicious-looking young men instead of enjoying the countryside.

"I don't enjoy cycling as much as I used to and am going out less often. The incident has taken a lot of the fun out of off-road cycling for me."

Inquiries are ongoing to trace and identify the second man.

Smith was also sentenced for another robbery of a man on the canal towpath in Stourton on 10 August, when he made threats of violence towards the 53-year-old victim and stole his electric bike.

It was reported that Smith was with two other people riding electric bikes during this offence.

Smith was further linked to two burglary offences at Whitehall, Leeds, on 3 February and 17 March in relation to a secure car park and bike storage area.

A bike was stolen in the first incident and damage caused to a lock and bike in the second incident.

PC Mo Sheikh of West Yorkshire Police said: "The statements that these victims have provided show the real human impact of what for Smith was probably an opportunistic theft with the hope of making a bit of money.

"I know for these two men and the victim of the earlier robbery that this experience has fundamentally changed their feeling of safety doing leisure activities they once enjoyed.

"We will continue to act on information provided to us by members of the public and carry out patrols in hotspot areas.

"I hope that this conviction and sentence provides some reassurance to the wider community."

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