By Rob John
Morgan: Mr Barker? Mr Barker? Are you awake? Can you hear me?
Barker: Where am I?
Morgan: You鈥檙e in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Mr Barker.
Barker: Who are you?
Morgan: I鈥檓 WPC Morgan. From Central Police Station. The doctor said it鈥檇 be OK to ask you a few questions.
Barker: What questions?
Morgan: You鈥檝e been quite badly hurt, Mr Barker. You鈥檝e had some sort of accident and we鈥檇 like to find out what happened.
Barker: It wasn鈥檛 an accident.
Morgan: No? Then perhaps you鈥檇 like to tell me exactly what happened.
Barker: It鈥檚 all a bit of a blur. I can鈥檛 really鈥
Morgan: Take your time, Mr Barker.
Barker: I remember leaving my daughter鈥檚 house鈥
Morgan: Where鈥檚 that?
Barker: Priory Road.
Morgan: OK. Nice part of town.
Barker: Yes. It was getting late. My daughter said I should get a taxi but I wanted to walk. It was a cold鈥tarting to snow鈥ut I just felt like walking. You know? And I hadn鈥檛 gone far when a man came towards me and asked me the way to the station.
Morgan: What did he look like?
Barker: I don鈥檛 know. He was quite tall maybe. I can鈥檛 remember. It all happened so quickly.
Morgan: What happened so quickly?
Barker: I was telling this man the way to the station when someone else鈥nother person鈥ame up behind me. They must have hit me 鈥 because I felt a bang on the back of my head and the next thing I knew I was flat on the pavement.
Morgan: Did they speak?
Barker: What?
Morgan: Did they say anything鈥fter you were hit? Can you remember?
Barker: I can just remember being cold. It was very cold lying on the ground. I felt their hands going through my pockets鈥allet, keys, phone鈥 They took everything. Then they ran away and left me lying there. I tried to get up but I was dizzy鈥idn鈥檛 feel right. I thought I鈥檒l just lie here for a bit and hope someone comes along.
Morgan: And someone did come along鈥?
Barker: Yes, they did鈥 Two women. I could hear them talking as they came up to me. I thought鈥hat鈥檚 good. They鈥檒l see me鈥nd they鈥檒l help me. I鈥檒l be alright now鈥ut then one of them said:
Woman: Just look at that! Homeless people sleeping in the street. Don鈥檛 expect to see that sort of thing round here. Go on 鈥 push off!
Barker: I tried to speak. Tried to tell them that I needed help but they weren鈥檛 listening. They just crossed the road and walked away.
Woman: This is a respectable neighbourhood!
Morgan: So you were still just lying there, Mr Barker鈥
Barker: Yes.
Morgan: And getting pretty cold I imagine鈥
Barker: I was freezing. But then some more people came along. Two men. They could see I鈥檇 been hurt. One of them said he wanted to help me but I heard the other one say鈥
Man 1: Let鈥檚 not get involved. Someone else will sort this out.
Man 2: But he needs help -
Man 1: I told you it鈥檚 not our problem. And it鈥檚 cold. I wanna get home!
Barker: And I was on my own again. Freezing. Lying in the street. I don鈥檛 know how long I was there鈥elt like hours. And then I saw him鈥
Morgan: Saw who, Mr Barker?
Barker: Man. On his own. Young fella鈥ot much more than a kid. He was walking towards me.
Morgan: What did he look like?
Barker: Usual sort. Trainers, jeans, a grey top with the hood up so you couldn鈥檛 see his face. I thought鈥his is it. He鈥檚 come to finish me off. He knelt down beside me and I said 鈥榊ou鈥檙e wasting your time. They鈥檝e taken everything. There鈥檚 nothing left to steal.鈥
Morgan: He put his hand in your pocket did he?
Barker: No. No he didn鈥檛. He put his hand in his own pocket鈥nd took out his phone. I heard him say 鈥榓mbulance please鈥 and then I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I was in here.
Morgan: Well that explains this.
Barker: What is it?
Morgan: It鈥檚 a grey top with a hood. The paramedics didn鈥檛 think it was yours. You were wrapped up in it when they found you.
Barker: I was wrapped up in that?
Morgan: He was trying to keep you warm, Mr Barker. And it鈥檚 good job he did. It was a very cold night. He might just have saved your life.
Barker: And I thought he was going to rob me. He looked鈥
Morgan: Yeah well you can鈥檛 always tell by appearances, Mr Barker. Don鈥檛 judge a book by its cover and all that.
Barker: I ought to say thank you to him. Give him back his top. Who was he?
Morgan: He didn鈥檛 give his name so we don鈥檛 know. Probably won鈥檛 ever know. Anyway he鈥檚 a Good Samaritan whoever he is.
Barker: Yes. A real Good Samaritan.
By Rob John
Morgan: Mr Barker? Mr Barker? Are you awake? Can you hear me?
Barker: Where am I?
Morgan: You鈥檙e in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Mr Barker.
Barker: Who are you?
Morgan: I鈥檓 WPC Morgan. From Central Police Station. The doctor said it鈥檇 be OK to ask you a few questions.
Barker: What questions?
Morgan: You鈥檝e been quite badly hurt, Mr Barker. You鈥檝e had some sort of accident and we鈥檇 like to find out what happened.
Barker: It wasn鈥檛 an accident.
Morgan: No? Then perhaps you鈥檇 like to tell me exactly what happened.
Barker: It鈥檚 all a bit of a blur. I can鈥檛 really鈥
Morgan: Take your time, Mr Barker.
Barker: I remember leaving my daughter鈥檚 house鈥
Morgan: Where鈥檚 that?
Barker: Priory Road.
Morgan: OK. Nice part of town.
Barker: Yes. It was getting late. My daughter said I should get a taxi but I wanted to walk. It was a cold鈥tarting to snow鈥ut I just felt like walking. You know? And I hadn鈥檛 gone far when a man came towards me and asked me the way to the station.
Morgan: What did he look like?
Barker: I don鈥檛 know. He was quite tall maybe. I can鈥檛 remember. It all happened so quickly.
Morgan: What happened so quickly?
Barker: I was telling this man the way to the station when someone else鈥nother person鈥ame up behind me. They must have hit me 鈥 because I felt a bang on the back of my head and the next thing I knew I was flat on the pavement.
Morgan: Did they speak?
Barker: What?
Morgan: Did they say anything鈥fter you were hit? Can you remember?
Barker: I can just remember being cold. It was very cold lying on the ground. I felt their hands going through my pockets鈥allet, keys, phone鈥 They took everything. Then they ran away and left me lying there. I tried to get up but I was dizzy鈥idn鈥檛 feel right. I thought I鈥檒l just lie here for a bit and hope someone comes along.
Morgan: And someone did come along鈥?
Barker: Yes, they did鈥 Two women. I could hear them talking as they came up to me. I thought鈥hat鈥檚 good. They鈥檒l see me鈥nd they鈥檒l help me. I鈥檒l be alright now鈥ut then one of them said:
Woman: Just look at that! Homeless people sleeping in the street. Don鈥檛 expect to see that sort of thing round here. Go on 鈥 push off!
Barker: I tried to speak. Tried to tell them that I needed help but they weren鈥檛 listening. They just crossed the road and walked away.
Woman: This is a respectable neighbourhood!
Morgan: So you were still just lying there, Mr Barker鈥
Barker: Yes.
Morgan: And getting pretty cold I imagine鈥
Barker: I was freezing. But then some more people came along. Two men. They could see I鈥檇 been hurt. One of them said he wanted to help me but I heard the other one say鈥
Man 1: Let鈥檚 not get involved. Someone else will sort this out.
Man 2: But he needs help -
Man 1: I told you it鈥檚 not our problem. And it鈥檚 cold. I wanna get home!
Barker: And I was on my own again. Freezing. Lying in the street. I don鈥檛 know how long I was there鈥elt like hours. And then I saw him鈥
Morgan: Saw who, Mr Barker?
Barker: Man. On his own. Young fella鈥ot much more than a kid. He was walking towards me.
Morgan: What did he look like?
Barker: Usual sort. Trainers, jeans, a grey top with the hood up so you couldn鈥檛 see his face. I thought鈥his is it. He鈥檚 come to finish me off. He knelt down beside me and I said 鈥榊ou鈥檙e wasting your time. They鈥檝e taken everything. There鈥檚 nothing left to steal.鈥
Morgan: He put his hand in your pocket did he?
Barker: No. No he didn鈥檛. He put his hand in his own pocket鈥nd took out his phone. I heard him say 鈥榓mbulance please鈥 and then I must have passed out because the next thing I knew I was in here.
Morgan: Well that explains this.
Barker: What is it?
Morgan: It鈥檚 a grey top with a hood. The paramedics didn鈥檛 think it was yours. You were wrapped up in it when they found you.
Barker: I was wrapped up in that?
Morgan: He was trying to keep you warm, Mr Barker. And it鈥檚 good job he did. It was a very cold night. He might just have saved your life.
Barker: And I thought he was going to rob me. He looked鈥
Morgan: Yeah well you can鈥檛 always tell by appearances, Mr Barker. Don鈥檛 judge a book by its cover and all that.
Barker: I ought to say thank you to him. Give him back his top. Who was he?
Morgan: He didn鈥檛 give his name so we don鈥檛 know. Probably won鈥檛 ever know. Anyway he鈥檚 a Good Samaritan whoever he is.
Barker: Yes. A real Good Samaritan.
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