Rider injured by barbed wire strung at neck height

CRAIG Billiet is lucky to have his head after he was booby trapped by barbed wire on a dirt bike ride on Tuesday.

"If I didn't put my hand up at the last minute, it would have cut me across the throat," he said.

"I am still in shock. It could have decapitated me."

>> Our say: Only an idiot would put barbed wire across a track

Mr Billiet's arm bore the brunt of the wire trap but he still suffered lacerations to his neck.

"I'm pretty shaken up," he said. "I'm bruised and battered, and my arm is gashed where the wire cut in."

Mr Billiet said he had ridden the same track between Little Creek and Emmerdale on Sunday with no problems.

But when he rode on Tuesday, someone had strung up a taut line of barbed wire at neck height.

He saw the wire at the last second and put his arm up.

"My arm hit the wire first and I fell off the bike at speed," he said. "When I got up I felt blood coming out my neck and freaked out."

He jumped back on his bike and rode home straight away.

"I jumped straight in the shower to wash the blood off and was in a fair bit of pain," he said.

He said he thought the wire only broke because whoever put it up didn't tie it on well.

"I can't believe someone would do that," he said.

"I'm freaked out. I have a family. My partner Melanie and I are engaged and we have four kids."

Mr Billiet runs his own business, Craig's Complete Couches and Upholstery Cleaning.

"I did one car today and then had to cancel the rest of the jobs," he said.

"I'm hurting; I won't be able to work for a few days. I just hope it doesn't affect my business too much."

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