A retired bricklayer left with horror injuries including a broken wrist, cheekbone and nose in a road rage assault said today he hoped his attacker felt 'totally ashamed'.
Paul Eva, 80, who has ten great grandchildren, was chased and pushed over by a motorist after the pair had a verbal row in the street in Penge, South East London.
The driver argued with Mr Eva, who was walking home with his wife Jackie from a barbecue for her birthday, as he crossed the road shortly before 8pm on April 21.
Paul Eva, 80, was left with multiple injuries, including a broken wrist, nose and cheekbone
The motorist then got out and followed Mr Eva down the street before attacking him. The victim was found unconscious by paramedics after hitting a wall as he fell over.
Today, Mr Eva said: 'I just hope this guy feels totally ashamed of himself. It was unnecessary. But he may have knocked me down but he won't keep me down.'
Talking about the attack, he added: 'I came to the end of Penge Lane, crossed Parish Lane, my memory is a bit hazy. I was the middle of the road, when he nearly hit me.
'There he was right in my face, according to my wife, 'I said what's your problem?' All I remember seeing was him looking at me and glaring. That last few seconds, I thought 'That's it'. I walked away and that's the last thing I remember.'
Speaking at his semi-detached home in Penge, he added: 'I woke up lying on the pavement with paramedics running all around me and they took me to the hospital.
'I didn't know what was going on. I was in hospital overnight. I didn't know who the attacker is. I think he's a prat. I broke my hand, that is still painful. I've just had it taken out of plaster.'
But he added: 'I can't think properly. One of my main things is cryptic crosswords. Now I can't do a b****y thing. I can't make my brain work.
'I'm still not 100 per cent. I feel quite fragile but I'm trying to hang on to get a telegram from King William.'
Scotland Yard said the couple had almost been hit by a silver car as they crossed the road and the driver had been involved in a 'verbal altercation' with Mr Eva.
Mr Eva walked away but the suspect pulled over, got out of the vehicle and chased him before shoving him in the back, police said.
Mr Eva added: 'After he had done it, the attacker said to my wife: 'He frightened my child'. I don't know who he is. The guy has got problems.'
The attack was witnessed by Ellie-May Williams and her boyfriend Charlie Glen, both 21, who live nearby. The couple are both first aid trained and were first on the scene to help.
Healthcare worker Miss Williams said: 'We saw that Paul was crossing the road and the driver had time to slow down. The driver stopped and swore at Paul.
'Then Paul said something back that we couldn't hear as we were on the other side of the road. Then the driver ran up to Paul and pushed him, his face hit the wall.
'Me and my boyfriend ran over, we're both first aid trained, so my boyfriend got Paul in the recovery position while I called for the ambulance and police.
'I took my coat off to place under Paul's head as he was bleeding very badly and he was unconscious, but he was breathing.
'It happened all to quick we didn't even pay any attention to the registration plate, but we got the description of what the driver looked like and knew he had a passenger.
'We waited for the emergency services to come and gave them the details they needed but unfortunately we weren't able to get the registration of the vehicle.'
Mr Glen added: 'I saw the man push the old gentleman I ran over to him as you can see on the CCTV. He wasn't moving or breathing at first.
'But as soon as I put the old gentlemen in the recovery position he then started breathing.
'I was mainly more focused on making sure the old gentleman was breathing and staying conscious We saw the full damage off his face.
'After about a couple of minutes he started to open his eyes and became panicked and scared. Obviously he was in shock.'
The carpenter added: 'It was very shocking. I mean you see a thing like that on the news and you never think it will happen to you.
'But to see it happen literally only a few feet away from me sickens me. People now days have no respect for anybody and especially the elderly.'
Miss Williams added: 'The attack was disgusting. The vulnerable man didn't deserve what had happened. The driver could have driven off and let it be.'
Detective Constable Luke Thomson, the investigating officer, said it was a 'brutal attack'.
He added: 'The victim has suffered horrific injuries as a result of a nonsensical attack, which could have cost him his life. There is no place in society for unlawful and aggressive acts such as this.'
Decorator Kevin Walsh, 53, has lived in the area for 42 years and described the cowardly attack 'truly shocking'. He said: 'We were in The Alexandra pub where you have full view of everything going on outside.
'We were sitting in one of the windows seats. It's a little community here and everyone knows each other. Paul was crossing the road with his wife; he is not frail, but he is 80-years-old and he shuffles along a little bit.
'They had been out for the evening and his wife had crossed over the road and he was a little bit behind. A car came down the road, an impatient driver, and tooted his horn as if to say 'come on'.
'Paul has turned round to give him a gesticulation, what you might do when you are halfway across the road. He made it over the road and in the time it took him to reach the pavement the driver pulled up, got out of his car, come up behind him and just shoved him in the back.
'It was with such force that he's gone forward and I think he had his hands in his pocket. He's gone down and smashed his face. There was no warning, no arguments or anything like that.
'His wife didn't see what happened, they were so close to being home and she was ahead. The man got back in his car, from what I heard he had a child in it - and then he drove off.'
But the father-of-one claimed that incidents such as the attack on Mr Walsh are 'not uncommon' in the area.
He added: 'It's truly shocking, but not uncommon. There was police cars there and an ambulance arrived. They put tape up all around here and blocked off the road, it looked like a crime scene.
'There was extra police in the area because somebody had been stabbed in Penge East. I know Paul, he often walks to the High Street and I'm out with the dog a lot and see him. We talk three or four times per week, lots of banter, he's a really nice bloke. He's retired now, but used to be a bricklayer.'
A woman in her 50s who knows Mr Eva and works at a nearby garden centre, said: 'I don't want to be identified after what happened to him, it was horrific.
'The gentlemen this happened to, he's local, he's retired and you see him about getting his papers each day. He's a lovely chap and he's been here for years.
'You always see him about with his wife. He's out and about again now, you do see him. He was walking by the pub and the car pulled up and a man shoved him against the wall. What happened is a disgrace to an otherwise lovely area.'
A young mother added: 'We saw the ambulance arrive and I just couldn't believe it was my neighbour. The police came round to check if our cameras picked the attack up.
'He was just walking home, the man is so lovely, he says hello to everyone on his daily walk. This is a great community area, there's a good buzz, it's massively gentrified over the past years.'
Police are appealing for help in tracing the suspect, who is wanted on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.
He is described as a white man, aged around 40, about 5ft 10ins to 6ft tall and of large build with a bald or shaved head.
He was wearing a light blue T-shirt and dark blue shorts. There was also a female passenger in the car.
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