| TV's Macintyre Targeted in Revenge Attack |
|
Investigative reporter Donal MacIntyre has been attacked while out jogging, apparently in revenge for his undercover work, it emerged today.
MacIntyre, 39, was running in a road close to Bushy Park in Hampton, south west London, with a woman fitness trainer when he was attacked yesterday morning. He was nearing the end of a 10-mile run when he was approached by a man who began punching and kicking him. According to London’s Evening Standard the man shouted: “You should not have done it, you f****r.” The pair struggled on the ground, before the attacker ran off. MacIntyre reportedly ran after the man and wrestled him to the ground, but he escaped. “It was a completely unprovoked attack, shocking and frightening, which took me by surprise,” MacIntyre said. “I am very happy that the police are investigating this properly and thoroughly, and that the perpetrator will be bought to justice.” A spokesman for Scotland Yard today said: “We are investigating an assault in Hampton yesterday at 11.25am. “A 39-year-old man was jogging in Broad Lane when a man approached him in the street and began to punch and kick him. “The suspect ran off and the victim’s only injury was reddening to his leg. We are keeping an open mind about the motive at this stage.” The suspect is described as a white male in his late 30s. Richmond police are investigating the incident, but no arrests have yet been made. MacIntyre’s investigations have often proved controversial. The burly undercover journalist rose to prominence with his MacIntyre Undercover show in 1999 which saw him infiltrate a gang of football hooligans. Two Chelsea supporters were subsequently convicted of conspiracy to commit violent disorder. He also posed as a care worker, and got caught up in the fashion industry to show its seedy side. The Irish born presenter moved to Five in 2003 for a reported six-figure sum to become its new face of current affairs. MacIntyre won Royal Television Society awards in 1997 for a film on drug dealing by night-club bouncers when he spent 11 months undercover as a bouncer in Nottingham. The Scotsman |