THE parents of the man savagely bashed by teenagers in South Albury are on their way from the US to be by their son’s intensive care hospital bed.
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Yesterday it emerged that the victim of the vicious attack early on Sunday morning was Montana-raised Kristen Mandeville.
Only hours earlier he had been with his son and dog enjoying his sporting passion of mountain bike riding on Nail Can Hill.
The attack has sparked outrage, people stunned by the age of the alleged attackers and brutality of the crime.
A girl, 15, has already been charged with common assault over the incident.
“These kids are simply animals and deserve everything that gets thrown at them in court,” a reader wrote on the The Border Mail website.
Mr Mandeville, 32, was riding his bike home in Kiewa Street about 4am on Sunday when set on by a group of youths from a nearby party.
One witness said the bike chain was used as a weapon as Mr Mandeville lay injured.
He was flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for emergency surgery for injuries that included a fractured skull and jaw, torn left eyeball and severe facial lacerations.
The Border Mail believes his Albury-based ex-wife and son are by his side in the hospital’s intensive care unit.
His parents are expected to arrive in Australia today.
Yesterday friends described him as a keen mountain biker and skier, with an infectious personality.
Albury-Wodonga mountain bike club member Mark Sullivan had talked to him on Saturday at a downhill event on Nail Can Hill.
“I still can’t believe it, he was there on Saturday with his son and his dog, he was the sort of guy that you liked to be around, there was always something happening, something fun,” he said.
Albury police were yesterday still seeking another “person of interest”, believed to be aged 18, and were interviewing other witnesses.
Acting Inspector Les Nugent said arrests would come “sooner or later”.
“Detectives have been interviewing witnesses today and that is likely to continue tomorrow,” he said.
Mr Mandeville was in a serious but stable condition yesterday.