A Polish pastry chef, caught on CCTV reigning a dozen violent blows down on a vulnerable woman at the Battle of Britain memorial, has dodged prison.
Jakub Marchewka, 32, of Louis Road, Stratford inflicted an egg-sized swelling above the victim's left eye during the 2am attack.
He pleaded guilty to assaulting Irishwoman Catherine Sultan in Victoria Embankment, Westminster on May 28.
Prosecutor Mr. Manjit Mahal told City of London Magistrates' Court today the alarm was raised by nearby Ministry of Defence police, who reported a group assaulting a woman.
CCTV captured the moment a group surrounded Miss Sultan, who had her back against the memorial (pictured), and Marchewka, who was wearing a distinctive blue t-shirt, repeatedly punched her.
“A security guard told police he saw a group of males punching someone on the ground and he ran across the road with a colleague.
“They pulled two of the males off and saw that the person on the ground was a white female.”
The court viewed the CCTV footage, which showed the victim knocking a lit cigarette out of Marchewka's hand seconds before the assault.
The defendant claims he was striking the victim in an attempt to force her to release her grip on his girlfriend's hair.
“The victim is a lady that suffers mental health issues,” added Mr. Mahal. “She was not able to give evidence due to her mental state.”
Marchewka says he was socialising with friends when Miss Sultan approached them to ask where her brother was and a row erupted.
In a statement he admitted: “I accept that I punched her several times while she was on the ground.
“I accept that my knuckles were reddened and I had a small cut to my knuckle.”
His lawyer told the court: “He realises he acted excessively and went to far in protecting his girlfriend.”
Marchewka, employed by a Mayfair restaurant, was sentenced to eighteen weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months, ordered to complete 250 hours community service work, pay £200 compensation to Miss Sultan and £85 costs.
No comments:
Post a Comment