G4 singers attacked by mugger

Two members of operatic harmony group G4 have been targeted by a mugger who fled empty-handed after trying to snatch a laptop.

Mike Christie, who was hit over the head with a solid object, and JonathanAnsell both suffered soft tissue damage during the offence on a recreationground in the Yardley area of Birmingham.

The mugger made off with a backpack, Ansell gave chase and managed to wrestle it back, receiving a blow to his left eye before the assailant ran off.

Both singers - whose group shot to fame in the first series of ITV's The XFactor in 2004 - were assessed and discharged at Birmingham's HeartlandsHospital.

Ansell told the Press Association he chased and struck the mugger afterrealising that crucial information relating to the group was on the laptop.

The 34-year-old said:

Ansell said he had decided not to report the offender - who was wearing a hat or a hood - to the police because they had recovered their property.

Fellow group member Christie, 35, said: