Girl Sees Brave Dad Attacked
Newcastle Herald
Friday June 20, 2008
A SIX-YEAR-OLD girl from Bar Beach was robbed while attempting to post a letter to Santa Claus and her father was bashed in front of her when he confronted a group of youths.
Chris Tonkin's daughter, Lucy, had taped $5.10 to the back of an envelope which she had decorated with balloons and left her house about 4.15pm on Wednesday with the intention of posting a letter to Santa Claus.Mr Tonkin said when his daughter returned in tears, claiming some men had taken her money, he decided to confront them.He approached a group of four youths on Bar Beach Avenue, about 40 metres from the intersection with Darby Street.The three men then proceeded to bash Mr Tonkin, holding him down and hitting him repeatedly, until two people stopped their cars, pulled Mr Tonkin's attackers off and chased them away."If they hadn't got out of their cars then who knows what would have happened," he said.Mr Tonkin received cuts, bruises and a swollen eye in the attack. He feared most for the emotional state of his daughter. Police described three of the men as being aged between 16 and 18 years old, with a fourth aged about 12. All four were of Aboriginal appearance.
© 2008 Newcastle Herald