Students attacked near Coventry club

Three Warwick University students were attacked outside a nightclub in Coventry by a man who was later found to be in possession of cocaine.

The students, Owen Evans, Ben Keene and another who preferred to remain anonymous, were on their way to Kasbah nightclub on Saturday 8 January, when the incident occurred.

They claim to be victims of unprovoked assault. “He asked for a cigarette and when we said we didn’t have one, he just hit one of us and then another”, said Evans.

Following the attack, the students chased the man, alerting a passing police car as they did so. They caught up with him near the entrance to Kasbah, where he hit Evans and a police officer in the resulting fracas.

When searched, the attacker was found to be carrying cocaine. He was arrested and the students were taken in for questioning and asked to make statements.

Evans, a first year Classics student, described him as “a skinny male in his 30s, around 5’10, with short dark hair and the look and manner of a drug addict”.

The man has been bailed pending trial, as the cocaine found on his person is sent away for testing. He faces charges that could lead to around a year in prison. Should he plead not guilty to assault, then Evans, Keene and their friend will have to attend the trial and testify against him.

The attack is likely to provide vindication for a number of students concerned about crime in Coventry. Coventry Council figures for 2008/09 show that 21.6 per 1000 of the city’s population were victims of criminal violence, compared with an English average of 16.8.

Signe Sparne, a Law and Sociology student, said: “You definitely feel intimidated when you walk through the main streets at night and you see so many gangs and police cars”. David Carvalho, a first year mathematician, described the crime rates as “a serious concern when you are considering where to live in your second year”.

Evans, Keene and their friend appear largely unperturbed, however. The three victims live in Coventry and Evans said, “As long as you are careful and behave appropriately then there really aren’t normally any problems”. All three students returned to Kasbah the following Wednesday.