A MAN who brutally attacked and robbed a bus driver has failed in his bid to have his conviction overturned.The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal from Jonathan Swart, 29, formerly of High Street, Needham Market.

A MAN who brutally attacked and robbed a bus driver has failed in his bid to have his conviction overturned.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal from Jonathan Swart, 29, formerly of High Street, Needham Market.

Swart, was found guilty of attacking Spencer Peters as he walked along Yarmouth Road, Ipswich, on April 30, 2001 and was jailed for four years in December 2001 at Ipswich Crown Court.

The court heard how on the night of the assault how Mr Peters had left work in Constantine Road, Ipswich, at about 11.30pm. He was walking along Yarmouth Road when a man appeared from the steps leading down to the river and demanded money.

Mr Peters said he tried to push him away but was grabbed by his jacket and an attempt was made to throw him down the steps.

Another man, alleged to be 29-year-old Swart, then appeared on the scene and both men rained blows on Mr Peters' head and body.

In an emotional letter to the Evening Star, Swart who is currently behind bars at Blundeston prison in Lowestoft, claimed: "I never did it and I was found guilty of being pulled out of a line up. There was no other evidence on my clothes or in my flat.

"I feel sorry for the bloke who was attacked but it wasn't me. I lost my job, my flat and I am parted from my girlfriend and my four-year-old daughter who I had full custody of."

Swart has appealed for anyone who may have seen anything that night to come forward.