A top City insurance broker, who fractured a female friend’s jaw in three places during a drunken row in which he also decked another industry pal fears his “fabulous reputation” is destroyed.
Steven Herbert, 56, the Director of BMS’s global reinsurance division started swinging punches in Caffe Vergnano, near Fenchurch Street Station during a trivial row about his male friend phoning his daughter.
The father-of-three, who lives in £820,000 Comfrey Cottage, Fields Farm Road, Layers De La Haye, Essex left insurance office manager Donna West, 45, needing three metal plates in her jaw, and she continues to suffer numbness, difficulty eating and an absence of taste and smell.
Herbert pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm on Ms West at the restaurant located in the 70 Mark Lane office building on October 25, last year.
He also pleaded guilty to assaulting insurance underwriter Lloyd Cross and was placed on a twelve-month community order, which includes 135 hours community service and a three-month electronically tagged home curfew between 8.30pm and 5.00am.
Herbert must also pay £2,000 compensation to Ms West, £2,000 court costs and an £85 victim surcharge.
He was cleared of the more serious offence of GBH, with intent, and stealing Mr. Cross’s iPhone.
Both victims work for Qatar Reinsurance Company Ltd. and Herbert pleaded guilty on the basis of “excessive self-defence.”
Inner London Crown Court heard Herbert had been drinking during a lunchtime business meeting before spending the evening with the two victims and one of his two adult daughters.
Herbert objected to some “sexually suggestive” comments Mr. Cross made towards his daughter and left with her, but returned to the bar area, where he snatched his friend’s iPhone to stop him calling her.
“He took it from Mr. Cross and the complainant asked for it back and Mr. Herbert smacked him in the face, a single punch,” said prosecutor Mr. Rory Keene.
“Donna West came running across the bar, drops her bag and launches herself at Mr. Herbert, causing him to react and causing the unfortunate injury that she received.”
CCTV shows Herbert knocking Mr. Cross down and then swinging a left-hook at Ms West, who is also floored.
Herbert’s QC Mr. Lewis Power said: “It’s a tragic case where a lifelong friendship has been destroyed and we see the damage of drinking to excess.
“They had all been drinking to excess and the defendant had been out to lunch with business contacts and ended up in the cafe and more drinks were taken.
“Some sexually suggestive remarks were made to his daughter and Mr. Cross wanted to use his phone to call his daughter and the warning was unheeded.
“He struck Mr. Cross forcefully and Donna West ran over, realising the situation was in turmoil and intervened and thinking someone was going to attack him, struck out in self-defence.
“He believes not only her life has been ruined but his own. He feels his fabulous reputation in the City is now gone. He was told he may now lose his job.
“The camera doesn’t lie. He did over-react. There was drinking that night and a party and once it was over there was nothing further and he showed extreme contrition and remorse at the time.”
The court heard married Herbert has two adult daughters, Nicola and Joanne and an eleven year-old son, George.
Judge Silas Reid told Herbert: “You had been out drinking most of the day with your daughter and friends and no doubt fuelled by alcohol got involved in an argument.
“You took Mr. Cross’s phone and punched him hard in the face, causing him to fall to the floor and Ms West, a friend of twenty-five years, saw this happen and ran over.
“In your intoxicated state you felt she was coming to attack you and punched out. You ended up seriously injuring her jaw, which was fractured in three places.
“She needed surgery, has numbness, has lost her sense of smell and taste and it is still likely she will require another operation to that jaw.”
After hearing Herbert was caught drink-driving recently the judge added: “You’d be well-advised to look at your drinking. He we are, twice in three years in court.
“You have lost your good character in a fairly spectacular way. It was a stupid mistake to make, but you believed you were at risk from Ms West, but you were not.”
No comments:
Post a Comment