Punch adds to spiked bike thief's woes

SYDNEY - A man who crashed an allegedly stolen motorcycle on New South Wales' south coast also copped some rough justice as he lay impaled on a garden spike - somebody punched him.

Police say the 39-year-old took the bike and was riding around Greenwell Pt, east of Nowra, on Sunday afternoon when the crash occurred. As he hit the ground he became impaled on a wooden garden spike.

But then someone - thought to be the bike's owner - turned up and allegedly punched him in the face.

Newspapers said the motorcycle, believed to be a Harley-Davidson, had vanished from the scene by the time emergency services arrived. And so had the injured thief's wallet.

"The spike went in at his armpit and out through near his shoulder blade," an ambulance service spokesman said. "He had some serious injuries but was conscious and stable."

Police said charges had yet to be laid.

- AAP