Dad stabbed by vandals in Wednesbury
A FATHER-of-two was brutally stabbed when he confronted teenage vandals in a Midland street.
A group of children, believed to be aged nine to 15, turned on good neighbour Dipak Patel as he chased the young thugs in Franchise Street, Wednesbury, at about 9pm yesterday.
The 40-year-old, who has two daughters aged seven and 10, saw the youngsters slashing one of his neighbour’s car tyres and was stabbed in the chest when he remonstrated with them.
Mr Patel, who lives in Franchise Street, was today said to be in a “comfortable and stable” condition at Walsall’s Manor Hospital after being knifed three times. He is thought to have suffered a punctured lung in the assault.
His brother, Vinod Patel, aged 47, who lives opposite, said: “The whole family is in shock about what has happened.
“My brother banged on my door last night and my wife answered and he was bleeding and said he’d been stabbed by youths.
“We cannot understand what is happening here. There have been on-going problems with vandalism and several people in this street, including my brother, have had their vehicles damaged.
“But now this has taken a terrible new twist. We understand that two of the stab wounds hit bone and my brother was lucky they did not penetrate further.
“But one appears to have gone into his lung. My brother would have been just inches from death. He is alive today only by chance.”
Police confirmed today Mr Patel had been stabbed in the street and said they were investigating the incident.
Coun Elaine Costigan, who represents Wednesbury North for the Conservatives, has been calling for police action for weeks to curb the vandals. She said: “This stabbing takes things to a whole new level but the shocking thing is I’m not surprised. These youths appear completely out of control. What we need are more police on the streets.”
Det Sgt Harjit Ubhi, of Bloxwich CID, said: “We would urge the community to contact police rather than confronting offenders themselves.”
Witness can contact Bloxwich CID on 0845 113 5000.
