A carer who was the victim of a vicious attack on Saturday night says he was saved by the masked vigilante known as ‘Bromley Batman’.
The mystery martial arts expert dressed all in black and wearing a bandana mask intervened with some “Jackie Chan-style moves” when three thugs set upon a 27-year-old man on his way home from a late shift at around 11.30pm.
Reports of a masked man saving helpless citizens from random attacks came to light earlier this month, with the secret saviour branded ‘Bromley Batman’. The victim of Saturday’s attack in Bermondsey, who did not wish to be named for his own safety, said the man who saved him fitted the description of the south east London superhero.
In the terrifying attack, three men blocked the stairwell as the victim tried to get up to his flat where he cares for his disabled mother. He did not wish to reveal the exact location for fear of reprisals.
The three men started making fun of him before they set upon him, hitting him in his face and on his body, leaving him with a black eye, a cut ear, a swollen nose and bruised ribs.
“The next thing I know I heard an ‘argghhh’ and I looked up and saw a tall bearded man in a bandana mask all in black kicking one of the men to the ground with some sort of Jackie Chan style move,” said the victim.
“Then he blocked one of the others, punching him again with some sort of Bruce Lee moves and then threw one over his shoulder judo style.
“It was amazing. Then he did a spinning round kick. I was in awe of this man,” said the victim.
After taking a surprise battering, the three assailants ran away, leaving the hero to make a smooth exit as he gave the victim a tissue for his bloodied face and told him to get himself home.
The victim says his un-caped crusader was over 6ft tall with a light brown beard, a cockney accent and looked “nothing like Batman.”
After telling his mum he had just had a fall on the way home, the victim went online to see if there were any other reports of a masked man appearing as if out of nowhere to help innocent citizens under attack – “if not I would have left it alone because people would have thought I was mad,” said the victim, who would like to personally thank ‘Bromley Batman’ for his help.
“This bloke helped me and I want to say thanks to him. From what I have seen he is doing a good job so keep it up!,” he added.
The Bromley Batman has so far managed to keep his identity under wraps, only revealing that he hates the name he has been given and would prefer to be called ‘The Shadow’ after his favourite boyhood comic book character.
After saving a City worker from a violent mugging, other reports came flooding in of instances where he had intervened including rescuing a woman from a gang of would-be bag snatchers in Lewisham.
The bearded bodyguard told the Evening Standard in an anonymous email interview earlier this month that he patrols London streets most nights – despite having a day job and a family. He said: “I just want to make a difference and leave this world a tiny bit better for the younger generation to inherit.
“I got sick of seeing crime on the news and in the papers with rarely anyone willing to step in and help people in need.”
That email account has since been de-activated with the identity of the Bromley Batman remaining a mystery.
Have you been saved by Bromley Batman? Contact amelia@www.newsatden.co.uk