Monk attacked by balaclava-clad boy in UK park

Monk Kom

A Buddhist monk was subjected to a "rapid flurry of strikes" to his face after a confrontation with a balaclava-clad boy on an electric bike in a UK park. Karucha Sripramote, known locally as Monk Kom, says the incident escalated from shouting and intimidation into a violent attack that left his glasses damaged and his lip cut.

The 34-year-old was walking through Hebburn Riverside Park at around 3.30pm on Tuesday, August 18, when he says he was repeatedly harassed by a boy riding an electric bike. Police are now investigating the reported attack.

Karucha said the boy first sounded a horn behind him and shouted. Wearing earphones and unable to hear clearly, he moved aside, believing that would end the confrontation.

Instead, he said the boy rode in front of him and blocked his path while continuing to shout. Karucha pointed towards his earphones and waved his hand to show that he did not want to engage.

The situation then took a disturbing turn. Karucha said the boy moved closer, turned his bike and deliberately spun the rear wheel, throwing grass and dirt over him.

He tried to walk away, but said the boy followed and repeated the action. Karucha eventually approached him and asked him to stop, while becoming concerned that the bike might be ridden directly at him.

He said he held the boy's sleeve to maintain distance and try to reason with him safely. At that point, he says, the boy began punching him repeatedly in the face.

Karucha believes he was struck "multiple times in quick succession" in what he described as a "rapid flurry of strikes". He also said he was wearing orange monastic robes and suspects that may have played a role in why he was targeted.

The violence allegedly escalated again when another boy appeared from elsewhere in the park. Karucha said the friend kicked him with "full force", knocking him to the ground.

He estimates the two boys were aged between 12 and 15. The attack damaged his glasses and left him with a cut lip.

Hebburn Riverside Park

Karucha says groups of youths wearing balaclavas frequently ride e-bikes dangerously close to pedestrians in the area to intimidate them. He said similar behaviour had happened to him before, but Tuesday's confrontation was the first time it became physically violent.

His decision to speak publicly was not, he said, driven by anger. Instead, he wanted to prevent another person from being targeted, particularly elderly residents and families who use the park.

"Initially, I intended to let it pass and carry on quietly with my life," Karucha said. But he concluded that remaining silent could leave other members of the public vulnerable to behaviour that might escalate.

The reaction from the local community has since been strikingly different from the violence he described. Karucha said he had been "deeply touched" by an "overwhelmingly kind and supportive" response, receiving messages of support and even flowers.

In an update shared on the Dhammakaya Meditation Centre of Newcastle's Facebook page, he thanked the Hebburn community for its kindness. He stressed that he has lived in the town for more than six and a half years and continues to see it as a welcoming and peaceful place.

His response to the alleged attackers was also remarkably restrained. As a Buddhist monk, Karucha said he reflects on events through understanding, patience and the principle of cause and effect, or Kamma.

"I hold no anger, resentment, or bitterness towards the young lads," he wrote. While saying their actions had crossed a line, he suggested panic and poor judgement can lead young people to behave recklessly.

Karucha has since said he has suffered no lasting injuries and is now "almost completely healed". Northumbria Police is investigating the report.

His final message was directed towards the young people he says attacked him. He hopes they will consider what kind of community they want to grow up in, warning that how people treat others inevitably shapes the environment their own families and loved ones inhabit.

For Karucha, the incident has become about more than one violent encounter. He wants the experience to prompt reflection and, above all, prevent someone else from being badly hurt.

Buddhist monk 'punched in the face' by balaclava-clad boy in UK park