A TEENAGER suffered a broken nose, a black eye and cuts to his face in an attack by a gang of youths. Chris Roullier, of Lonsdale Road, Stevenage, was on his way to collect his girlfriend s mother from bingo in his car when the incident took place. Mr Rou

A TEENAGER suffered a broken nose, a black eye and cuts to his face in an attack by a gang of youths.

Chris Roullier, of Lonsdale Road, Stevenage, was on his way to collect his girlfriend's mother from bingo in his car when the incident took place.

Mr Roullier, 17, had slowed down to turn the corner at the end of Ridgeway, Stevenage, when a youth stepped out into the road and blocked his access.

He said: "There were about 12 teenagers on the pavement and one of them came out into the road.

"I sounded my horn and he didn't move. He knocked my wing mirror off.

"This startled me and I am not usually a nervous person.

"I stepped out of the car and confronted the teenager.

"It was then that I was set upon by four or five of the gang who broke my nose, cut my face and blacked my eye.

"The quick assault lost me my designer glasses and caused me to hit my head on the road surface.

"My girlfriend was screaming from the passenger seat throughout the incident.

"As soon as I hit the floor the youths scattered and I got back into the car and escaped a very threatening situation."

He added: "I have never been in any trouble before and the attack was totally unprovoked.

"My girlfriend is petrified to go to the end of her own street now but I don't want to be intimidated by them."

Mr Roullier also said: "What makes it worse is how I was treated by the police.

"I was at Stevenage police station within minutes of the attack but was unable to make a statement and was told to either wait 90 minutes or they would call back the next morning.

"It was in my interest to get to hospital so I requested they contact me the next morning.

"The police didn't take a statement until a full 20 hours after the incident.

"The police for Stevenage are over-stretched and simply outnumbered by the crimes committed."

A spokesman for Hertfordshire police said: "We didn't have the resources to make an early response.