HE was badly beaten by a vicious gang in France.
But now a Huddersfield man has been given shock news by the French authorities – he is the one to face a court.
Andrew Johnson, a student in Marseilles, was left with severe facial and arm injuries after the beating at his apartment.
But because he fought back with a personal Taser-style device, he is facing court action after one of his attackers complained.
The devices can be used for personal safety in France but only in the home. It is thought one of the attackers has alleged Mr Johnson, pictured after the attack, used it outside his home.
Mr Johnson, 44, was brought up in Moldgreen but has lived in France for the past 18 months with his mother Doreen, who retired there.
He is studying transport security at university in Marseilles and has an apartment in the city’s northern quarter, which is regarded as a potentially high-risk area.
Mr Johnson, who has worked as a ski resort consultant in the Middle East, has been told he has to appear in court on November 8.
“I am absolutely stunned.
“I was the victim of a vicious attack, yet because I tried to defend myself I am the one who has to face a court.
“I have lived in Beirut in the past and have had to face nothing as terrible as this.”
Mr Johnson, who went to Rosemeade School in Dalton and still has relatives in Huddersfield, was at his apartment one evening last month when the doorbell rang.
“I opened the door and saw four men there who suddenly attacked me. None of them said a thing and I have no idea what they wanted.
“I was hit on the head, the face and the arm as they tried to get into the apartment.
“I was trying to get the door shut, and managed to grab the electronic shock device off a cupboard at the side and fired it at them.
“I had bought the device back in 2006 while I was living in Switzerland and had never used it. I had no idea what it would do and even thought the battery may have run down, but the men turned and ran off.
“I had bad injuries to my face and the police sent me to a hospital to have the wounds treated. I was also photographed.
“The stun devices are allowed in France, although not on the street. I certainly never saw any of the attackers look as if they were hurt, but the next thing I knew was that the police said one had made a complaint about me.
“They say I have to appear in court on November 8. It is astonishing that I am the victim yet I am facing the blame.
“I have contacted a lawyer and the British Consul, but no-one knows what will happen when it comes to court next month.
“I feel very aggrieved by all of this, and now I am undecided about whether or not to stay on here in Marseilles.
“Beirut was never as bad as this.”
Mr Johnson’s mother, Doreen, worked across the world for the World Scout Foundation and spent many years in Geneva, before retiring to France.
A British Consul spokesman said they were monitoring the case.
