Young Male Model gets Torched } Survived but Scarred for Life
- Hooded yob sprayed Russell Banks with lighter fluid and threw a lit match at him
- He suffered third-degree burns to 20% of his body including hands and face
- His attacker inadvertently set fire to himself too but did not seek medical treatment
By EMILY ALLEN
Burns: Russell Banks was set on fire in an unprovoked attack outside a Leicester pub
A male model who suffered horrific burns to his face after a thug set him on fire has said: 'I pity the man who did this to me.'
Russell Banks, 21, was left scarred for life after a hooded yob sprayed him with lighter fluid and threw a lit match at him in a pub beer garden.
The arsonist inadvertently set fire to himself and CCTV cameras captured the moment he sprinted out of the pub with his torso covered in flames.
Mr Banks suffered third-degree burns to 20 per cent of his body including his hands, arm, chest, neck and face after the attack in October.
Surgeons removed skin from his legs and implanted it onto his chest and face but he was told he would be permanently scarred.
Yesterday the barman and part-time model, said he felt 'pity' towards his attacker, who also suffered major burns.
Speaking from his parents’ home in Sileby, Leicestershire, Mr Banks said: 'The past weeks have been grim - I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, not even my attacker.
'I feel anger and pity towards my attacker - but mainly pity for the man who did this to me.
'He’s totally changed my life but I can’t go on feeling anger towards him.'
Mr Banks was enjoying a drink with his friend Robert Laszewsk, 21, at the Rainbow and Dove gay bar in Leicester city centre when the incident happened at 12.40am on Tuesday, October 25.
The attack was totally unprovoked and Mr Banks said he had never seen or spoken to his attacker, who approached him from behind.
He desperately tried to put the flames out and suffered burns to his face and right arm.
Mr Banks recalled: 'I can actually remember it very clearly - he came from behind and the next moment I was set on fire.
This is the dramatic moment the hooded yob was captured on CCTV engulfed in flames just after the unprovoked attack at the Rainbow and Dove, in Leicester
The arsonist, who inadvertently set fire to himself, sprinted out of the pub with his torso covered in flames - but did not seek medical assistance
Model: Russell Banks before the attack. He said he 'pities' the man who covered him in lighter fluid and set fire to him. He has been left scarred for life
'There wasn’t much pain but I was consumed with panic.
'My eyes were open and I could see the orange flames all around me.
'Once the fire was extinguished, I was absolutely freezing from the shock then it all went blurry - I don’t remember anything till I woke from my coma weeks later.'
Police believe the attacker also suffered major burns but did not seek medical treatment.
Mr Banks was rushed to Leicester Royal Infirmary where doctors sedated him and attempted to open his airways which had swollen after he inhaled the flames.
His step-mother Jane, 33, said: 'My husband Harry and I were terrified when we saw police at the hospital - that’s when we knew it was serious.
Hospital: Surgeons stripped the dead skin from his hands and arms before separating his fingers to prevent them melting together
'Russell is such a lovely guy, he wouldn’t hurt a fly - that's what made this unprovoked attack so hard to comprehend.
'When we saw him, he was wearing a white mask impregnated with special chemicals for his burnt skin.
'It was very distressing - the skin on his hands looked like snake skin and was peeling away.'
Mr Banks was enjoying a drink with his friend when the incident happened at 12.40am on Tuesday, October 25
Mr Banks was transferred to Nottingham City Hospital’s specialist burns unit where he spent three weeks in a chemically-induced coma.
He was connected to a dozen tubes feeding him a cocktail of drugs - including morphine, sedatives and antibiotics.
Surgeons stripped the dead skin from his hands and arms before separating his fingers to prevent them melting together.
He added: 'It took a long time to pluck up the courage to look at my burned face - I’d always been a perfectionist, a gym fanatic, and obsessed about my body.
'Whenever I walked into a room, the nurses - who provided amazing care - would tape up any mirrors or reflective surfaces.
'When I finally decided to look at myself it was the biggest shock - I thought I was a different person.
'I broke down, it was just too much. The attack had taken my identity away.
'But after that initial shock, I’m coming to accept it - I can’t change my scars, they tell a story after all.'
Mr Banks finally came home on Thursday, November 24, but has been plagued by pain and discomfort.
He said: 'Everything is sore and tight and the nights are tough - I’m roasting one moment, freezing the next.
'Climbing the stairs is very tricky and I’ve lost all the grip in my fingertips so turning on the tap is hard too.
'I want to get on with my life and I’d love to get back to modelling but I know that is probably not going to be possible.'
A 21-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the attack.
A Leicestershire Police spokeswoman said: 'A 21-year-old man was arrested in the London area on Wednesday November 23 and has been bailed pending further inquiries for the Leicester offence, but he remains on remand for an offence in Essex.’
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