Autistic man thought he was going to die in vicious attack

Rodney Edwards • Published 12 Aug 2010 16:00 0 Comments

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Damien Wiggins.

A vulnerable man lay battered and bruised in a pool of his own blood following a brutal attack by thugs on Saturday.

21-year-old Michael Leonard, who suffers from autism, was viciously assaulted by two men in Trasna Way in Lisnaskea in full view of young children.

Hours later, his uncle and neighbour Damien Wiggins, who also has autism, was beaten with a stick and robbed in a cowardly attack.

Michael Leonard was left with 39 horrific injuries, including a broken nose, cuts and bruises to his back and head, two black and bloody eyes and four bruised ribs.

In an emotional interview with The Impartial Reporter, Mr. Leonard said he thought he was “going to die” as he waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Struggling with pain, he said: “There was that much blood on the ground that I thought that was it. I was sure I was going to die. There was nothing I could do, I couldn’t move. I just hoped and prayed the ambulance would come and I’d be seen to,” he said.

On the assault itself, Mr. Leonard explained how he had left a friend’s house when a man, whom he knew, called him over to speak to him.

“He put his hand out and then hit me a head butt. I fell to the ground. He broke my nose and started booting my head in. Then another boy came out of a house and started beating me too. I was lying there in a pool of blood and they kept kicking me. They kicked and kicked away at me.

“There was a get-together taking place in one of the houses nearby so there were loads of kids about. Some of about three years of age and they were watching it all. They watched me being attacked. They were hiding behind the older ones, crying their eyes out. I’ve heard the children can’t even sleep at night now because of it. They haven’t settled since. They’re having nightmares, like me,” he said.

Mr. Leonard has described his attackers as “animals” and says he “feels sick” at the thought of them: “It’s a disaster that these kind of people are allowed to live in this area. None of this is right. I am worried that this will happen again. I worry about my safety. I have only left the house a couple of times since. If I go out I have to look over my shoulder. I’m scared they’ll come after me again,” he said.

His uncle and neighbour Damien Wiggins was later attacked too.

The 32-year-old lives alone with his pet budgie, having lost both his beloved parents. A picture of them hangs on the vulnerable man’s wall.

Sitting in his well-kept Lisnaskea home, Mr. Wiggins recalled how he was “shaking with fear” when the intruder entered his house late on Saturday night.

“I was lying in bed when I heard the sound of someone breaking in through the kitchen window. I was frightened, very frightened. I could hear footsteps so I walked down to the kitchen and there he was -- a man hiding behind the kitchen door. He was tall, hiding his face with a two foot stick in his hand. I ran through the house and he ran behind me and into the living room,” he said.

Mr. Wiggins said he shouted for the man to stop but he didn’t listen: “He hit me on the head and the chest with the stick. He ran into the bedroom and grabbed my jeans, which had my money in them. There was £120 in the jeans. It was my income support money, which I only took out a day before. He took the only bit of money I had left. I used most of it to do my shopping, pay the electric bill and I also bought my sister something to eat. I needed the rest of that money and he took it on me and left me with nothing. It’s not really fair, is it? It’s just not on,” he fumed.

Mr. Wiggins has been the victim of a number of heartless attacks in the past. He’s been beaten with a baseball bat, had the windows of his Housing Executive home smashed twice and had a razor blade held to his throat. He now suffers from horrendous panic attacks, along with his disability.

He is appealing for these “bullies” to stop at once: “I don’t harm anyone. I’d do anything for anyone. Leave me alone and let me get on with my life,” he said.

PSNI Inspector Roy Robinson has branded the attacks “despicable and disgraceful”.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 12 Aug 10

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