A student has narrowly escaped muggers wearing balaclavas in Hyde Park.

Two hooded males lurking by the tennis courts in the park pulled on balaclavas as the student approached. They shouted at him to “get the fuck here now”. The student tried to avoid them but the attackers pursued him on each side.

The males kept calling at the student to “stop” and “get here” for 100 metres. As the group approached the skate park, which was full of students, the muggers were forced to give up.

The student was walking alone through the park on October 28 at 1pm, in broad daylight, when the incident occurred. He told LS that he “felt something was not right” as he got closer to the attackers. The muggers are described as being in their early twenties, wearing thick coats and of Afro-Caribbean and Pakistani origin.

The student said: “I believe that I was targeted because I was carrying my laptop in a separate laptop bag.” Since the attempted mugging the student said that he has been “much more cautious” about walking in Hyde Park.

He added: “I’m definitely more aware of my surroundings and I won’t walk through the park by myself again.”

The attack follows a similar incident this week as a student was mugged at knifepoint by an attacker wearing a balaclava.

Faith Dunne

Carina Derhalli

Photo – Jack Scates