'I thought they would kill me'

Police have released images of people they want to talk to in relation to two assaults in the Fitzroy Gardens. Source: Supplied

Police have released images of people they want to talk to in relation to two assaults in the Fitzroy Gardens. Source: Supplied

Police have released images of people they want to talk to in relation to two assaults in the Fitzroy Gardens. Source: Supplied

Police have released images of people they want to talk to in relation to two assaults in the Fitzroy Gardens. Source: Supplied

TWO victims of a vicious gang attack have described how they feared they would be stomped to death.

Ryan Hickey, 25, and James Fitzgerald, 30, were ruthlessly bashed by the gang of youths, who repeatedly kicked and stomped on their heads even after they had handed over all of their possessions.

The pair were attacked in the Fitzroy Gardens in separate incidents about 3am on April 14.

Mr Fitzgerald said he handed over his wallet, phone and passport to the thugs amid a flurry of kicks and punches, but they appeared determined to kill him.

``I thought, `OK, they’ve got my stuff now’ and that’s when the beating really began,’’ he said.

``It was savage. It was extreme violence … I must have been kicked and stomped in the head about a dozen, 15 times, maybe more and I was lying on the ground covering my head and they were literally kicking it like it was a football. Not little digs, but proper kicks.’’

Mr Fitzgerald, who moved to Melbourne from London two-and-half-years ago, suffered a broken wrist as he shielded his head from the blows.

``People were stamping on my head repeatedly like it wasn’t a person’s head, but like a balloon,’’ he said.

He was able to escape when a woman accompanying the thugs begged them to stop and whispered in his ear while they were distracted for him to run for his life.

``I was thinking ‘this is it’ and then luckily that girl saved me. Because if she hadn’t of said that, they weren’t going to stop,’’ Mr Fitzgerald said.

Mr Hickey sustained a broken vertebrae in his spine after the same gang bashed him almost to death a short time before Mr Fitzgerald’s attack.

Like Mr Fitzgerald, the gang bashed Mr Hickey before and after stealing his wallet and phone.

``It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,’’ he said. ``If they just wanted my wallet and mobile phone they would have done what they needed to do and taken off.’’

Mr Hickey was found bloody and bruised by two Irishmen, who helped him to a nearby night club and called an ambulance.

``It was very violent. They were very hard kicks and punches. They were getting run-ups and kicking me in the head,’’ he said.

The Melbourne Embona Robbery Taskforce is investigating the robberies, and police believe the attackers later used one of the credit cards to buy items at a convenience store on Bridge Rd, Richmond.

Police also want to speak to the two Irish men who stopped to help the first victim.

Police have released CCTV images of three men and a woman they believe can help with their inquiries.

They are of African appearance and are described as tall and skinny.

 

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Would you vote again for Pauline Hanson?

Pauline Hanson, seen here with celebrity agent Max Markson at the Golden Guitar Awards in Tamworth, says she is will seek a seat at the September election in either NSW or Queensland. Picture: Tim Hunter Source: News Limited

• Says Tony Abbott will "walk in" and Coalition will win election
• Ms Hanson says she wants to make sure voters are being listened to
• Claims Tony Abbott destroyed her political career

PAULINE Hanson says she is seeking a seat in parliament at the September election to hold Tony Abbott - the man she accuses of helping to put her in jail - to account.

Speaking to News Limited this morning Ms Hanson, who co-founded the controversial One Nation party in 1997, said she would run as an independent in either Joel Fitzgibbon's NSW electorate of Hunter or in her current Queensland base of Coleyville, south of Brisbane.

Ms Hanson, 58, said she felt it was important for her to be back in federal politics so the Coalition, if elected, did not have a free run to pass legislation.

"I believe Tony Abbott is going to walk in, the Liberal party is going to win," Ms Hanson said this morning.

"It's important I be there again to create the debate, to make sure they are listening to the Australian people."

Ms Hanson said Mr Abbott had acted against her by setting up a fund to bankroll legal action against One Nation that ultimately saw her and her fellow party co-founder, David Ettridge, jailed in 2003.

Pauline Hanson with One Nation director David Ettridge in 1998.

They were convicted of electoral fraud, but the ruling was subsequently overturned and they were released several months later.

"It was a horrifying experience - I will never forget it," Ms Hanson said.

"Tony Abbott should have left it up to the voters decide and not done what he did. He destroyed my political career."

Ms Hanson said she had "strong connections" to the NSW electorate of Hunter including owning property in Maitland and having family in the region.

"It's not just where I'm thinking of standing, it's where I want to decide to live the rest of my life," she said.

However Ms Hanson said she hadn't yet made her final decision as to exactly where she would seek election, and would announce a formal position in coming months.

"It will be the Hunter or Queensland," Ms Hanson said.

Ms Hanson currently owns a home in Coleyville, south of Brisbane, which lies in the electorate of Wright held by the Liberal National Party's Scott Buchholz on a margin of 10.15 per cent.

The Hunter is held by former government whip Joel Fitzgibbon, who was one of Kevin Rudd's key backers in last month's leadership showdown, on a margin of 12.48 per cent.

In 2010 Ms Hanson put her Coleyville property on the market and was planning to resettle in Britain, but told media she would not sell her home to a Muslim.

Overnight, it was revealed that Ms Hanson's One Nation co-founder David Ettridge was seeking to sue Opposition Leader Tony Abbott for more than $1.5 million in damages.

He has accused Mr Abbott of acting unlawfully in 1998 by assisting and encouraging litigation against One Nation in the Queensland courts.

Mr Ettridge alleges the court action was false and malicious and the resulting damage affected him greatly.

Mr Ettridge's lawyers served legal papers on Mr Abbott for damages on the weekend.

A spokesman for Mr Abbott said the papers had been received.

A directions hearing is set for the Brisbane Supreme Court on May 9 and Mr Abbott has received a summons to attend.

"Before Tony Abbott can become prime minister of Australia he needs to be judged on his suitability to hold the highest office in Australia," Mr Ettridge said in a statement.

"For his role in this disgraceful period of Australian political history, Tony Abbott has never been brought to account."

Ms Hanson said she endorsed the action, but was not a party and would not benefit from any successful suit.

Tony Abbott today described the legal action by Mr Ettridge as a "sideshow" and said he was not worried about the law suit.

"Obviously there are still some hard feelings from those days, but the matter is now before the courts and I am confident that everything I did back then was justifiable and could be justified," Mr Abbott said.

The Opposition Leader said he "absolutely complied" with all of the obligations on him when he raised $100,000 to help fund court cases against One Nation and had already been cleared twice by the Australian Electoral Commission.

"I was never particularly critical of One Nation supporters, but I certainly thought back then that it was a dodgy party and that position of mine was vindicated by the courts," he said.

"This is a matter which will obviously be discussed with various legal representatives and I think its fair to say this is going to be just a bit of a sideshow and I try not to get involved in sideshows if I can avoid it."

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