71196-38Peter Taperek went to the pub to celebrate his 39th birthday. He ended the night with 18 stitches after an unprovoked bottle attack.

A SWINDON man who was viciously attacked outside a village pub says he is lucky to be alive.

Peter Taperek, 39, of Redcliffe Street, in Rodbourne, was left in a pool of blood in the car park of the Royal George, in Purton, following the bottle attack on Saturday night.

Doctors at the Great Western Hospital later found 60 individual cuts to his face, which required 18 stitches.

And they say that the broken shards of glass missed his jugular vein by inches.

Mr Taperek, who is now scarred for life, had been enjoying a drink with wife, Silviya, 25, and their friends to celebrate his birthday when trouble flared over a game of pool.

Without warning, two men strangers to the traditional local threw beer over him and left.

Mr Taperek followed them out to demand an explanation.

One of the men then got out of a 4x4 car and hurled a vodka bottle at Mr Taperek's head.

"I just wanted to know why those men had thrown beer over me there was no provocation at all," said the warehouse operative, who was kept in hospital overnight for observation.

"As soon as I reached their car somebody shouted 'let him have it' and a bottle came flying towards me. The next thing I knew I was covered in blood."

His horrific ordeal did not end there. He was dazed and in shock as one man then drove the car directly at him, forcing his wife to drag him out of its path just in time.

"I'm sure that he would have driven over me," said Mr Taperek. "I'm shocked. I thought that they were all talk and I never expected something like this to happen.

"My face is a mess it looks like my face has been through a car window."

Mrs Taperek said: "The night was going so well and everyone was chatting away. Then it all kicked off."

PC Steve Harvey, of Cricklade police station, said that glass recovered from the scene is now being analysed by forensic experts.

"There is no obvious motive to this horrific attack, which left the victim with some nasty injuries," he said.

"There was some kind of dispute inside the pub but it is unclear if the victim was directly involved in this because."

One of the attackers was 5ft 11ins, with fair, spiky hair and in his early 20s. He wore a white polo shirt with the logo Home Services.

The second was 5ft 10ins, had black hair and small scars around his chin. He was in his mid-20s and wore a checked shirt and dark trousers.

Onlookers noted down a partial registration number with the letters YGH.

Witnesses should call Cricklade police on 01793 750207.

Royal George landlady Jeanette Clifton said: "This was a very violent attack and obviously we are all shocked."This is a village pub and everybody tends to know each other, but nobody knew these two guys.

"The Royal George is not a violent pub. Nothing like this has happened here before."

Kevin Shoesmith