Man tried to run over gay bodybuilder after he stepped in to defend stranger
By Will Stroude
A London bodybuilder who was subjected to a vicious tirade of homophobic abuse after stepping in to defend a stranger has spoken of the moment the attacker tried to run him over with his car.
Personal trainer Marcel Schoeman, 49, was cycling through Lett Road, Stockwell last Saturday (December 5) when he saw the man hassling a woman from his car and decided to intervene.
Mr Schoeman claims he faced a barrage of abuse as he defended the woman from the driver, who he says called him a “faggot” and “queer”, before driving off.
However, he returned moments later as Mr Schoeman was comforting the distressed victim, whereupon he tried to run him over.
Mr Schoeman jumped behind a signpost to shield himself as the the car hit the kerb, but as he dived for cover he injured his knee. The driver then drove off, leaving both Mr Schoeman and the woman on the pavement.
The Dutchman quickly reported the incident to police, who are hunting for the driver over allegations that he caused actual bodily harm to Mr Schoeman.
Lett Road in Stockwell, where the alleged harassment and assault took place.
“He was a bully. She was saying ‘leave me alone’. He blocked her way.” Mr Schoeman told the Evening Standard.
“It was just an instinct – I thought ‘not on my watch’. I just said something. He started to get out of the car. He was being aggressive. It felt very dangerous. I said ‘You are disgusting’.”
He continued: “He called me a faggot and a queer. I thought: ‘I do not need this rubbish anymore, especially from someone I do not know’.
“Then he drove off. The girl turned to me and said ‘Thank you so much’. But then he came back. It was scary because he came up behind me.
“He went one way and I went the other – there was no one on the pavement so he drove at me. I saw the sign pole and I jumped behind it. And that’s when I hurt my knee but he didn’t actually hit me.”
Detectives from the Met Police are investigating the incident, which took place on Saturday December 5 in Stockwell, London.
Anyone with information about the incident is being urged to contact police on 101.
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