Thursday, 27 March 2025

Staff Glassed By "Vicious And Dangerous" Square Mile Hotel Guest

A drunken guest refused admission to the hotel's rooftop bar in the heart of The City deliberately smashed a wine glass into the faces of three members of staff.

Oliver Huckerby, 22, had checked into the Leonardo Royal St. Paul's hotel, near the famous cathedral with his girlfriend and became aggressive when denied access to the drinking area.

He received seven years imprisonment after being convicted at Inner London Crown Court of grievous bodily harm.

Huckerby, of Piggotts Way, Bishop's Stortford arrived at the hotel, located in the Square Mile, on December 16, 2023.

He later confessed to police he used cocaine that night and had been drinking.

Security officer Daniel Lessie asked Huckerby to leave the rooftop bar area and the aggressive guest smashed a wine glass in the victim's face and then used the broken stem as a weapon.

A barman stepped in to stop the attack on the security officer and was stabbed in the face, close to the eye. 

The wound was very deep and has left a life changing scar on the victim. 

Huckerby’s third victim was Marcel Seaka, another security guard, who called 999 to alert the police.

Detective Constable Connor Devine at City of London Police said: “This was a violent, unprovoked and sustained attack on security staff who were doing their job to protect customers and ensure their safety. 

“Our thoughts are with the victims and the people who feared for their lives on the night.

“The city is a great place to socialise and attacks like this are thankfully rare, but if you come into the City with violent intent we will bring you to justice.

“The nature of the assault carried out by Huckerby shows that he has a vicious and dangerous streak to him and the best place for him is in a prison cell.”

Various staff members and customers threw items at Huckerby to prevent further attacks. Huckerby was soaked in blood when he was arrested outside the hotel by City of London Police officers.

Daniel Lessie said in his victim impact statement: “I have suffered with the trauma from that incident every day. 

“When I saw the suspect again, I re-lived the moment he attacked me, to the point it was hard to control my emotions. 

“It also impacted me that the suspect stated he couldn’t remember the incident at all, it was as if the only ones suffering from re-living that moment were the victims and witnesses.

“I have suffered with spates of depression post this incident, with friends contacting me and worrying about my wellbeing. 

“I would be checked up on by my friends daily even some days twice a day depending on how I presented.

“The time of the incident it is a busy month for security staff with lots of opportunity to earn extra income, and the incident prevented me from earning extra income and caused me to lose half my salary whilst on sick leave. 

“I was struggling for a period of 6-9 months just to keep my head above water. I struggled to pay rent and other bills, causing me to run into a debt.”

The assault was captured clearly by CCTV and used to convict Huckerby of his crimes.

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