‘I could have been killed in racist attack’: The Zutons star reveals how his head was split open with ‘piece of wood’ after ‘asking group of young men to stop smoking near his son’

The former star of The Zutons has revealed he was almost killed in a racist attack by a group of young men in which his head was split open with a piece of wood.

Boyan Chowdhury, one of the founding members of the indie rock band, said the attack took place in Liverpool’s Wavetree area on Saturday afternoon.

The guitarist, who is in his 40s, said that while he was out with his five-year-old son, a group of young people started smoking next to them.

He asked them to move away but the youths began shouting racial slurs at him, which saw Mr Chowdhury quickly take his son to a neighbour’s house for safety.

While two of the young men continued to harass him, the third approached him from behind and hit him with a piece of wood, leaving his forehead open all the way to his skull.

Luckily, the musician managed to turn around and raise his hand in time to slightly deflect the blow, but he still had to be taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

Shocking photos shared by the musician on social media showed him bleeding from his face following what police described as a “disgusting” hate-related attack.

he said Sky News: ‘I truly believe that if I hadn’t turned around at that time, I don’t think I would be here because it would have been the back of my head.

The guitarist, in his forties (pictured, performing with The Zutons in 2019), said he was out with his five-year-old son when a gang of teenagers started smoking next to them.

He asked them to move away but the youths began shouting racial slurs at him before hitting him with a piece of wood, splitting his forehead open all the way to his skull (pictured)

‘It would be much more serious.’

Mr Chowdhury said he was doing his best to keep busy following the attack and thanked his neighbors for their support.

But he said the incident left him almost completely unable to sleep, and he now finds himself staring out the window of his house in constant fear.

He said that his hands had not stopped shaking since the attack, and that his wife and son were equally afraid of returning to school on Monday.

The guitarist added: ‘Everyone has to start facing the truth, the terrible truth that this country has entered a truly dark phase of its history.’

Mr Chowdhury, whose parents moved to England from Bangladesh, said he was proud of his heritage but had always had to deal with racism since his childhood.

For example, he said he had bricks and stones thrown at him when he was growing up in the West Derby area of ​​Liverpool.

He said his experiences over the years have left him with little faith in how hate crimes are handled by authorities.

The musician was an original member of The Zutons, which formed in 2001.

The group was best known for their mid-2000s hits: Won’t You, Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love? and Oh Stacey (Look What You Did!).

They were also the group behind the song Valerie performed by Amy Winehouse.

Their debut album, Who Killed… The Zutons?, was nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2004.

Mr. Chowdhury left the band, which still tours and releases music, in 2007, but returned to reunion shows in 2019.

He is currently working on other music and production projects and has also ventured into acting.

Merseyside Police are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Inspector Debra Morley said: ‘This was a shocking attack that has absolutely no place in our communities.

The musician (second from left) was an original member of The Zutons, formed in 2001 (pictured in 2006).

‘Racially abusing someone and then attacking them with a gun is disgusting and I’m sure the public on Merseyside will be as horrified as we are by what happened.

‘The investigation into this incident is ongoing and we are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

‘If you saw this group of men near Fieldway or witnessed the incident please come forward.

‘Violence and hate crimes will never be tolerated in our societies.

‘We have specially trained officers who respond to reports of hate crime with compassion and sensitivity, ensuring all information is acted upon to bring offenders to justice.

‘I strongly encourage anyone who has been the victim of or witnessed a hate crime to come forward and contact us.’

A force spokesman said: ‘We are appealing for information following a hate-related attack in Wavertree on Saturday 21 March.

‘At around 2.15pm it was reported that a man in his 40s had been racially abused following an argument with a group of men near Fieldway.

‘It was also reported that the victim had been struck in the head by one of the men, who was armed with a weapon believed to be a piece of wood.

‘The victim suffered a serious head injury and required hospital treatment.

‘An investigation into the incident is ongoing and we are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.’

Anyone with information can contact Merseyside Police via X @MerPolCC or call 101 quoting reference 26000226633.

People can also contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the online form.

If victims of hate crime do not want to report the incident to the police for any reason, they can contact the independent charity Stop Hate UK.

The organization operates a 24/7 confidential helpline for all victims of hate crime on 0800 138 1625.

Stop Hate UK can also be contacted via its website or reporting app, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the Apple App Store.

There are also charities that offer assistance to victims of certain hate crimes.

They can report incidents to the Anthony Walker Foundation for racially or religiously motivated attacks, Daisy UK for disability hate crimes and Citizens Advice for LGBTQ+ victims.