Self-Protection Products in the UK while Cycling

I was once involved in a fight where I used a weapon against somoene.

A friend and I were attacked from behind whilst leaving (being turned away from) a nightclub. (Neither of us had been drinking.) My friend was kicked in the back down about 15 concrete steps and whilst he was lying at the bottom, they two guys ran down and started kicking him. He'd landed on a table and chairs and broken a chair - when I got there to try and pick him up, one of the bouncers was winding up to kick him in the face/head.

I picked up the chair leg and swung it as hard as I could, hitting the bouncer in the face. There was no forethought, no planning and I didn't even know I was doing it really ....He dropped, his mate went to see if he was okay and we both managed to get away. This all happened in the space of about eight seconds, probably less.

We were picked up by the police and to cut a long story short, they wanted to charge me with attempted murder. Life over. Thankfully, I (eventually) ended up being released without charge.

I'd seriously hurt the guy though- I'd cracked his skull, broken his eyesocket, cheekbone, nose, his palate and he needed stitches from just under his right ear, down to his jawline, up and overt he bridge of his nose and across to mid cheek on the right hand side. I was told that if I'd hit him perhaps an inch further round, I'd have killed him.

There's no way I'd ever use a weapon of any sort against anyone again - before that, I didn't think I had it in me to be so vicious and I'd never been involved in any sort of violence. Since then (apart from two minor incidents) I've kept well clear of any confrontation. You can fuck your life up in a second.

Running away is where it's at.

This sounds like you saved your friends life, from a mindless thug