Private Schoolteacher Caught Spying On Female Shower Room

A private school teacher’s career is in ruins after he was caught using his mobile phone to secretly spy on a female colleague in the women’s-only shower room, a court heard.

Computer Science teacher Christopher Arnold, 37, was also an assistant head of 5th Year at £22,000 a year Hampton Boys School, in south-west London.

The 500 year-old school’s well-known alumni include Queen guitarist Brian May; former Home Secretary Kenneth Baker and Olympic gold medal rower Jonny Searle.

Arnold, of Hazelwood House, Dyas Road, Sunbury-on-Thames is now receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance and living with him mum, while on a “relationship Break” from his partner, also a teacher at the same school.

He pleaded guilty at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court to observing the female teacher doing a private act, for the purpose of sexual gratification on March 23.

Arnold must now sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and complete 200 hours community service and pay £85 costs and a 395 victim surcharge.

The court also ordered him to attend thirty sessions of the Horizon sex offenders’ programme and up to thirty days of a Probation Service-ordered recommended activity requirement.

“This incident left me very shaken and shocked,” said the teacher in her victim impact statement. “It is a horrible thing to have happened and to have it carried out by a colleague makes it even more intruding.”

Prosecutor Adam Cooper told the court: “This takes place at Hampton Boys School before the school day started.

“There is a small bathroom area that connects to the gym, leading to a female shower room for staff.

“The complainant was getting changed in the shower room at 8.10am and was sitting on a bench facing the door, which has three clear window slots.

“She could see a black smart phone held against the window and shouted out as she was partly-dressed and ran out to the corridor, thinking it was a student, but found this defendant.”

Arnold did not deny he was responsible and when questioned by police the same day, made a full admission.

No recording of his fellow-teacher was found on the phone and police checked his other devices, including computers and found no similar material.

Arnold’s lawyer Sunvir Kaur told the court: “He has expressed deep remorse from the outset and is seeking and trying to get to the bottom for the reason for the offence.

“He has sought help himself through his own expense and his genuine remorse was shown soon afterwards with a witness noting he was ‘down’ and ‘not his usual cheerful self.’

“This was because Mr Arnold was at a point of crisis when he committed the act and felt a sense of shame and had come to his senses as to what he had done.

“He made an immediate admission to the woman and said: ‘That was me,’ and was arrested that day and made a full ad mission to the police.

“Mr Arnold says he was under a lot of stress. It had been a difficult term at the school, where he had been for ten years and he used pornography to relieve his symptoms as a copying strategy.

“He also had a new pastoral role at the school, which placed additional stress on him.

“That led to this momentary spur of the moment act.”

Arnold’s partner and his mother supported him in court and Ms Kaur added: “His main source of income has now been lost and he is living with his mum while on a relationship break until the conclusion of this case.

“He showed exemplary character up to that morning, but now there will also be a hearing before the Teaching Regulation Agency and he is likely to be barred.”

Magistrate Timothy Keay told Arnold: “Custody might be in the sentencing range, but we think the appropriate sentence is a Community Order.

“The offence is so serious a custodial sentence could have been imposed.”

"I Got No Space": Sex Pest Jailed For Pressing Groin Into Woman

A tube train sex pest has been jailed for pressing his groin into the rear of a pregnant passenger – claiming he had nowhere else to stand in the carriage when challenged.

Zane Donovan, 25, also received a court ban from attempting to chat in public with any woman he does not know once he is released.

When confronted on the Victoria Line train he protested: “How do you want me to stand? I Got no space.”

Donovan, of White Gardens, Dagenham pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting the woman between Green Park and Victoria stations on Friday, March 25.

At Inner London Crown Court he received 41 weeks imprisonment and must sign the six offenders register for the next ten years.

Donovan was also made subject to a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, prohibiting him attempting to engage females he does not know in conversation when in public – including public transport.

The victim boarded the train at Green Park at 6.30pm and immediately felt Donovan pressing his groin against her from behind for around twenty seconds.

After being confronted he departed the train at Victoria station and after CCTV enquiries was arrested several days later.

British Transport Police Detective Constable Brittany Armstrong said: “This incident was particularly alarming and distressing for the victim, and I’m pleased to see Donovan behind bars for such inappropriate behaviour.

“Some people may not consider pressing a sexual offence, or serious enough to report especially in a crowded environment, however in the eyes of the law this is sexual assault and offenders will be caught and punished accordingly.

“If you experience or witness this behaviour on the network, we urge you to alert an officer or report it by texting us on 61016. We will always take you seriously.”

999 Operator Abused By Drunk Caller

Wimbledon Magistrates' Court

An offensive 999 caller verbally insulted the emergency operator with a volley of foul-mouthed abuse, a court heard.

Lisa Sutch, 52, claims she was drunk when she made the call and insists much of the abuse was aimed at herself for failing to stay off alcohol.

She was recorded saying: “Give me your f***ing name, you're f***ing dead. F***ing die.

“Shut up you fat slag,” was also said during the call, along with “black c***.”

Jobless Sutch, of Stuart House, Stuart Road, Richmond-upon-Thames pleaded guilty one count of offensive communication on June 27.

Prosecutor Elizabeth Garcia told Wimbledon Magistrates' Court the female operator took a 999 call from Sutch, who was at her home address.

“At one point during the call she started becoming rude and aggressive.”

The court was then quoted Sutch's words, which the 999 operator described as leaving her “extremely shocked and distressed.”

The operator confirmed she could hear nobody else on the end of the line who Sutch could have been directing her abuse towards.

The defendant was arrested and questioned by the police.

“She had no recollection of the telephone call and said she was drunk at the time and the 999 operator was offensive to her,” said Ms Garcia.

Sutch's lawyer Jenny Winter told the court her client was sleep-deprived due to a noisy neighbour and after quitting alcohol began drinking again when “under pressure.”

“She has a mirror in her hallway to remind herself how awful she looks in drink and was abusing herself.

“When she said: 'black c***' she was referring to an Asian friend she had issues with.

“A lot of this was drunken babbling while depressed and sleep deprived.”

Sutch, who currently lives on Employment Support Allowance has a previous conviction for harassment.

She is also os breach of a twelve-month conditional discharge for an offence of criminal damage.

Bailing Sutch until August 18 for a pre-sentence report magistrate Lindsey Stuart told her: “There is a previous conviction for harassment and there is a seriousness to this.

“What you did was totally unacceptable, but there may be mitigation by virtue of your mental health.” 

'Juiced' Mobile Hairdresser Nearly Four Times Limit

A mobile hair stylist blamed her
special juice-only diet for being nearly four times the drink-drive limit when she crashed into another car after leaving a pub, a court heard.

Gaynor Godwin, 41, had to hold onto one of the arresting police officers’ to steady herself as she staggered out of her vehicle, Bromley Magistrates’ Court was told.

“She had for some weeks before been blending fruit and vegetables and had not been eating properly,” said Nick Ferrari, defending. “Drinking alcohol on such a limited diet would knock anyone for six.”

The single mum, of Colebrook Rise, Shortlands, Bromley pleaded guilty to driving her white BMW estate, with excess alcohol in her breath, on May 31 in nearby Glassmill Lane.

She had 130 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35.

Godwin told police she only had two wine spritzer’s at a local Wetherspoons during after-work drinks.

She claimed the collision would probably have occurred even if she was sober, blaming the other vehicle for speeding into her path and suddenly stopping in front of her.

“Your conduct on this day was disgraceful,” magistrate Alan Austin told Godwin. “You were very drunk  and you put other people’s lives in danger.

“You are an intelligent woman and you know the dangers of drink-driving. With all your responsibilities you should not be doing this.”

Godwin was disqualified from driving for 30 months and must complete 150 hours community service. She was also ordered to pay £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

Prosecutor Denise Clewes told the court police were called just before 11.00pm to a traffic accident on a bend.

“They saw two vehicles, one of which was a white BMW with damage to the front bumper and they saw Ms Godwin get back in the car and was sitting in the driver’s seat.

“She declined assistance and told the officers she was not injured, but as she got out she reaches out to grab the officer’s arm to steady herself.”

The officers noted Godwin was “incomprehensible to understand” 

Godwin’s two female passengers were uninjured and she was arrested after failing a roadside breath-test.

The other driver was injured and taken to hospital after being removed from their Toyota.

“At Bromley Police Station the custody Sergeant noted she was unsteady on her feet and abusive to the arresting officers and there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from her.

“When questioned she said she was driving downhill and did not brake in time and collided with the other car.

“She said: ‘We had a few in the pub with dinner, we shared a bottle and a half of wine between three of us and I felt okay to drive.’

“It is a very high reading and a high-level of impairment,” added Ms Clewes, revealing Godwin was also convicted of drink-driving in Marbella, Spain in 2010.

“It was a minor accident, a prang of the vehicle,” said Mr Ferrari. “There will be hefty consequences and she will not be able to continue as a mobile hairdresser by driving to customers’ homes to cut their hair.

“She is a dedicated parent and realises this sort of behaviour could deprive her eleven year-old son of her if this offence was met with a sentence of imprisonment.”

'Sugar Daddy' Sentenced For Molesting Internet Date

A fake ’Sugar Daddy’ has been sentenced for molesting his graduate internet date at a four-star hotel after convincing her she needed to be intimately searched after he was drugged and robbed by another woman from the site.

Angelo Fernando, 46, claimed his “highly sensitive” work in the US aerospace defence industry made him a target and he feared his drink being spiked so the pre-date full-body search was necessary.

He has now been placed on the sex offenders register for five years after an Inner London Crown Court jury unanimously convicted him of sexually assaulting the drama student at the Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster Bridge Road on August 28, 2019.

In reality, tax records from that year prove Fernando, of Chifney Court, Bridle Close, Surbiton only earned £2,100 and on Friday the court heard he is £5,000 in debt and must move out of his rented flat.

Via the SeekingArrangement dating website Fernando told the woman, aged in her twenties, and known as ‘YorkshireBlonde’ that he was an economics graduate and had been a City investment banker, working in the world of private equity before establishing his own financial consultancy, specialising in defence, security and aviation.

After meeting for the first time at Waterloo Station, Fernando walked his date to the hotel, where he took her to a secluded area near a fire exit for the search, which she had consented to before meeting him.

“He said there was a search on every date he had with a female and it would be by a professional, a thorough airport-style security search. He said he didn’t have time to find anyone and would do it himself and I thought that was fine,” she told the jury.

“I thought he was some kind of spy that had a job that required you to have some sort of check. He painted a picture really well that excited me and he was someone that I’d like to meet.

“The story of what he was doing, what he did and how he had been spiked and needed this security operation just to go on a date sounded like a different world.

“There was a wet mop and bucket and cleaning sign there and anybody could have walked in, but he said it was a discreet space out of the public eye,” she explained. 

“He started from the ankle up, all the way up and I felt very uncomfortable and told him to stop and he carried on with the other leg and the same thing happened again.”

She said on both occasions Fernando touched her between the legs by running his hands up under her short mini dress. 

“He ran his hands down the side of my breasts and said: ‘Oh. You’re not wearing a bra,’ and then ran his hands down the front. It was a slow cupping motion.

“At the end he insinuated it was not as thorough a search as he would have liked.”

The site promised to match ‘Sugar Daddies’ with ’Sugar Babies’ but the woman denied asking Fernando for £3,000 per month. “I signed-up for the website because it sounded exciting. Maybe I went on it because I was bored.

“It was said of the site that you got taken for drinks and I guess there is a financial side to it, but I never asked for money,” she added, denying Fernando’s claim she sought funding for a vegan television project.

“I think it was a very well worked-out plan,” she told the court. “I was overwhelmed by what was going on, this guy had given me a massive story.”

Fighting back tears she added: “It was a scary situation. I thought I was going to be raped at one point.” 

Prosecutor Liam Gregory told the court: “He seems to be selecting people willing to be searched and this has almost become a fetish for him, according to the pre-sentence report, rather than necessary to preserve his safety and peace of mind.

“For his own sexual pleasure he sought to search gullible women and touch them intimately,” adding there was evidence of up to twenty dates who may have been similarly frisked.

Fernando’s lawyer Paul Webb said: “For someone with almost debilitating Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) what may be seen as his high-level planning was a symptom of his OCD.

“He is of good character, is well-educated and with a high-profile within his work. He is a professional man with the potential of having a good income, up to one hundred thousand pounds.”

Judge Freya Newbery sentenced Fernando to an 18-month Community Order, which includes up to 35 days of treatment and up to 30 days of a recommended activity requirement.

He must also pay a £1,000 fine, plus £3,500 costs.

“She thought the search was plausible because she thought you were a wealthy VIP-type person with safety concerns,” the judge told Fernando. “You took her into some sort of large cupboard or stairwell and thoroughly searched her over her clothes.

“You did touch her over her breasts and touched the gusset of her underwear with your hand.

“The victim was very upset about it and sat with you to try and find out more about you to report you to the police, which she did later with the assistance of the hotel staff.

“There was a significant degree of planning to assault her under the guise of a legitimate search. It was not a genuine drugs search and all of your careful planning was aimed at getting her into that large cupboard.

“I cannot make a decision about whether this was a fetish or a ritual or what was driving you to plan this very carefully. You always viewed what you carried out as normal, but you did not have consent for the contact.

“You were previously a hard-working, professional man successful in your field and there are still women in your social group who you got to know from dating and consenting to the same frisking.”

Fernando told the trial the victim only complained when he refused to give her £3,000 per month and the search  was necessary after he was drugged and robbed of his watch and cash on another date.

They had a drink in the hotel bar after the search his date said she was working on a screenplay she hoped would become a sitcom.

“She said she joined the site in order to meet somebody who could provide her an allowance. Somebody who could help her fund the production of the screenplay and contribute towards her university expenses.

“Because the Masters in Acting was quite expensive she was looking for three thousand pounds a month.

“She would see me on a weekly basis in exchange for three thousand pounds a month and wanted the first instalment after the date.

“After I rebuffed that her body language changed and she became quite belligerent,” Fernando told the jury. “She was disappointed, it was written all over her face.

“She then started complaining about the search and said how uncomfortable it made her feel.

“She started scratching her leg and that made me subconsciously think: ‘Has she got drugs in her underwear?’

“I was not going to transfer three thousand pounds into the account of someone I had just met.

“She said: ‘I’m going home, this is a waste of time. She leaned in and I gave her a kiss on the cheek and she walked off and that was it.

“I thought she was flirtatious when she first sat down in the alcove. I did not think she was somebody who was mercenary.

“I was disappointed, but it is not unusual for women on that site to project one image, but whose motivations are completely different.”

Whisky Galore: £9,500 Bottle Nicked

A rare £9,500 bottle of Scottish single malt whisky has been spirited out of a specialist dealer in the heart of the Square Mile.

City of London Police have released these two CCTV images of the suspected thieves and are requesting the assistance of the public in identifying them.

The valuable bottle of Macallan was stolen at approximately 5.41pm on Monday, March 14 from Tomoka Fine & Rare, Royal Exchange.

CCTV images show a man and woman standing outside the store for around thirty minutes, before entering separately. 

The woman then left the store and was last seen walking towards Throgmorton Street.

After both suspects left the store, it was found that the £9,500 bottle of rare Macallan whisky was missing.

Police Constable Niall Bowes, of City of London Police, said: “Thefts from businesses aren’t victimless crimes, and this incident has caused significant financial loss to an independent retailer in the City.

“We are keen to speak to anybody who recognises the individuals in the CCTV images, or who may know anything about the incident which could assist with the investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the City of London Police by calling 0207 601 2107 and quoting 22000149693. 

Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Young Drug Dealer Caught By Police Visit

Drugs Find: Glencar Court

A young cannabis dealer was caught during a surprise police visit on his home, a court heard.

Malakae McEwan, 20, of Glencar Court, Beulah Hill, Upper Norwood was found with 168 grammes of skunk cannabis and another 60 grammes of the drug.

Officers also discovered £1680 cash and two mobile phones, containing a history of text messages indicating drug-dealing.

Police entered the block of apartments built on the site of the demolished official residence of the De La Salle Brothers who taught at the neighbouring St. Joseph's College secondary school.

McEwan pleaded guilty to possessing the quantities of the Class B drug, with intent to supply, on November 3, last year.

Prosecutor Tharshani Siva told Croydon Magistrates' Court police attended the address regarding another enquiry and found the cannabis, cash and phones.

Texts included conversations about “platinum cookies” and questions like “do you know what strain you gave me earlier?”

McEwan answered “no comment” when questioned by police.

Ms Siva added: “The defendant played a significant role in drug street dealing and the sentencing guidelines indicate a starting point of one year's custody.”

McEwan was bailed until August 2 for a pre-sentence report.

Ex-Goalie's Drink-Drive Collision

A journeyman former goalkeeper, who has signed for nine different football clubs, was over twice the drinks limit when his BMW collided with another vehicle, a court heard.

Michael Poke, 36, who was appointed as Portsmouth FC's goalkeeping coach a year ago, kept going after hitting the black Ford Fiesta in King's Road, Chelsea.

The former Southampton and Torquay United stopper, of Horsham Road, Feltham appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Poke pleaded guilty to driving the white two-litre diesel with excess alcohol in his breath on April 14.

He had 89 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. 

The legal limit is 35.

Poke also pleaded guilty to driving without due care an attention; failing to stop after an accident and without insurance.

He was placed on a twelve-month Community Order, which includes an Alcohol Abstinence Requirement to be alcohol-free for a period of thirty days.

Poke must also obey a twenty-eight day, electronically-tagged, home curfew between 9.00pm and 6.00am.

The court also disqualified him from driving for twenty months and ordered him to pay £85 costs and a £95 victim surcharge.

IT Consultant's Taxi Race Row

Westminster Magistrates' Court

An IT consultant has received a suspended prison sentence after a late-night train station race row with a taxi driver ended with an assault on a police officer.

Maxwell Foord-Paton, 30, of Holmesdale Gardens, Hastings was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.

He pleaded guilty to using racially-aggravated threatening behaviour towards Mohammed Farhat outside London Bridge Station on February 20, 2020.

Foord-Paton also pleaded guilty to causing £188 worth of criminal damage to the inside of a taxi.

He was arrested and taken to Brixton Police Station and pleaded guilty to assaulting PC Jordan O’Sullivan on February 21.

Foord-Paton was sentenced to a total of twelve weeks imprisonment, suspended for eighteen months and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community service work.

He must also comply with a three-month electronically-tagged nighttime curfew to remain at home between 11.00pm and 5.00am.

Foord-Paton must also attend up to twenty days of a Probation Service-ordered rehabilitation activity requirement.

The court also ordered him to pay £188 compensation for the criminal damage; a further £150 in compensation; £85 costs and a £128 victim surcharge.

Foord-Paton will pay at the rate of £50.00 per month.

Master Tailor's Midnight Mayfair Assault

Cut Up Rough: Benettello

A master tailor, who has worked with the world’s leading designer brands, had to be dragged off his girlfriend as he bashed her head on the pavement outside a luxury five-star Mayfair hotel, a court heard.

Richard Benettello, 41, claims they were drunk after eating and drinking at a landmark Peruvian restaurant and he was guilty of nothing more than “excessive self-defence.”

Benettello, who has worked with Giorgio Armani; Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry, was pulled off girlfriend Solankhe Tchikaya, 37, by a security guard outside The Athenaeum, Piccadilly on May 27, last year.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to assaulting the graduate marketing and communications specialist, who attended the University of Westminster and King’s College London.

Benettello, of Fulham Road, West Brompton was bailed to July 29 for a pre-sentence report on condition he does not contact his ex or visit her address in Munster Road, Fulham.

Prosecutor Robert Simpson told the court the couple had just dined at the nearby COYA Mayfair restaurant, leaving at half past midnight.

“The restaurant manager Filomena Clarizio says she heard a call and thought something was happening outside the restaurant.

“She saw the defendant and his partner and he was on top of her and she describes him hitting her head against the pavement.”

The manager gave a police statement explaining: “I saw the male on top. He had hold of her hair and was smashing her head on the ground and security staff came out and separated them.”

Pavement: Tchikaya

Ms Tchikaya told the witnesses: “He gets like that when he is upset,” and Benettello said: “I did nothing.” 

Mr Simpson added: “Security staff from The Athenaeum came out and separated the couple and the defendant was overwrought at the time and there was blood on his hand.”

The blood was Benettello’s and Ms Tchikaya suffered no visible injuries.

“The police were called and he was arrested,” added Mr Simpson. “When he was interviewed the defendant gave a prepared statement and made no further comment.

“The complainant has not supported the prosecution at any time and did make a statement that nothing had happened and would have been a defence witness today if there had been a trial.”

However, Ms Clarizio and the security guard attended and were prepared to give evidence against Benettello.

Milad Shojaei, defending, told the court: “The complainant did not support this prosecution and never has.

“He accepts there was excessive self-defence when they were intoxicated and they had a stumble.

“He accepts he behaved excessively. The paramedics confirm there were no injuries to her head and the blood was the defendant’s.”

Unwelcome Visits: Police Sergeant Banned From Matrimonial Home

A Police Sergeant received a restraining order today, banning him from the matrimonial home he once shared with his fellow-officer wife, who felt harassed by his visits.

Robert Ferguson, 51, an officer with Suffolk Constabulary claimed that because he still part-paid the couple’s mortgage he was entitled to let himself into the property, despite their split.

He was arrested and charged with harassing Emma Ferguson, causing her upset, anxiety and distress on November 15 and December 12, last year by entering the address on a number of occasions.

Today, at City of London Magistrates’ Court Ferguson, of
Ringshall, Stowmarket, Suffolk was due to stand trial, but the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence.

However, the father-of-three’s career will be effected after Deputy District Judge Alex Stein made him subject to a two-year restraining order.

Ferguson is prohibited from contacting Emma, except via solicitors or their three children; going within 100 metres of the former matrimonial home in Cattsfield, Stutton, Ipswich and not entering the curtilage of the property.

Prosecutor Micaila Williams told the court: “The defendant and complainant were a couple for twenty years until October, 2019 and are both serving police officers.

“They have separated and Emma remains in the family home with their three children, two of whom are adults and a thirteen year-old son.

“Mr Ferguson continues to contribute to the mortgage and although their divorce was initially civil it became acrimonious.

“Mr Ferguson would attend to pick-up or drop-off his son and use his key to let himself in or enter through an unlocked door.

“She says she does not want him coming in, but Mr Ferguson said he was entitled because he is still paying part of the mortgage.”

Representatives of Suffolk’s Professional Standards Department were in court and Adam Budworth, defending, said: “The restraining order is going to have a long and lasting impact on his employment.”

Asking for a shorter, six month period, the lawyer added: “Mr Ferguson will effectively lose his employment while subject to the order.

“Since his arrest in December, last year there has been no suggestion of wrongdoing and Mr Ferguson just comes to a lay-by outside the house to pick-up his son and drop him off.”

The judge told Ferguson: “You have been acquitted and you walk away an innocent man, but it is necessary and proportionate to issue the restraining order on acquittal.”

City Workers' Valuables Stashed In Walthamstow

A suspected City thief, who police believe struck in the pubs and bars of the Square Mile, had over 100 stolen items stashed at his home.

Katien Rejise, 39, had 48 mobiles phones; 33 laptops and tablets; 6 sets of Apple Airpods; 2 Rolex and Tag Heuer watches, plus wallets and bank cards nicked from a variety of victims.

City of London Police suspect he targeted licensed establishments, but did not catch him in the act of stealing.

Rejise, of Penrhyn Grove, Walthamstow pleaded guilty to six counts of handling stolen goods and received twenty weeks imprisonment.

It is believed that the total amount of goods seized from Rejise’s address were worth in excess of £100,000.

This included 29 mobile phones stashed in a garden chest of drawers.

During his police interview, Rejise claimed the items must have belonged to his roommate who, he said, repairs items such as laptops and mobile phones. 

Rejise refused to comment when officers asked why the items were being stored in his wardrobes.

Officers are continuing to work through the recovered items to repatriate the stolen property to their rightful owners.

Detective Sergeant Gary Moore said: “Rejise could not provide a realistic explanation as to why he had all these stolen goods in his possession, which ultimately has landed him with a prison sentence.

“This case should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can get away with stealing or handling stolen goods that officers will find you and you will be brought to justice.

“We want the City to be a safe place for everyone to work, visit and enjoy and we’d encourage everyone to follow some essential crime prevention advice to deter opportunistic thieves.

“For example, if you’re enjoying after work drinks, try to leave any valuables in a work locker or secure place. 

"If you do have to take these items with you, keep them close by and don’t leave anything unattended. 

"Criminals are very organised and will seek to blend in to their environments to take advantage of unattended belongings.”

NOT GUILTY: Oil Trader Cleared Of Glassing Recruitment Headhunter

Cleared: Albie Crathern

A young oil broker, accused of deliberately smashing a whiskey glass into another City professional’s head - slashing his ear - was cleared yesterday.

Albie Crathern, 22, claimed the complainant -  a recruitment headhunter celebrating his birthday - and his work colleague were “taking the Mickey” and dismissing his claim to be a Square Mile broker.

Crathern, of Heather Drive, Romford was found not guilty of one count of wounding Juan Carlos Roberts, 27, in the Nickel Bar of The Ned, a luxury five-star hotel, near the Bank of England on February 18, 2019.

The Crown Prosecution Service offered no further evidence on day two of the trial and the not guilty verdict was entered.

Graduate recruitment specialist Mr Roberts changed his version of events during his evidence at Inner London Crown Court, claiming the CCTV showed Crathern snatching the glass from his hand instead of his initial claim the defendant picked it up off the table. 

He had consumed five whiskey cocktails and a beer during his birthday celebration with workmate Tom Andrews when the defendant and a friend sat nearby at 9.30pm.

Initially Crathern seemed interested in what smart-suited Mr Roberts was wearing and what he and his friend did for a living in the City, the trial heard.

“They started speaking to us and it got progressively more aggressive. He asked me where I went to university and told Tom if he had gone to university he would have a better job than recruitment.

“He made some sort of derogatory comment about us working in sales and I told him broking is also a sales job.

“It escalated and the defendant said to Tom: ’Shut up, or I’ll knock you out,’ and I asked for the bill and started leaving and I stood in between both of them.

“He picked up my whiskey glass and swung it and I saw it at the last second and turned my face away and the glass smashed my ear and neck.”

However, after watching CCTV from the witness box Mr Roberts changed his evidence and admitted Crathern and his friend were face to face.

He also conceded the whiskey glass was in his own hand. “He takes it from my hand and hits me in the head, you can see it clearly,” added Mr Roberts.

“I had a laceration. My ear was hanging down and a shard of glass went through the back of my head and I had two surgeries.

Birthday: Juan Carlos Roberts

“A few seconds after I lost some sort of consciousness and was ushered to the back of the hotel. When I took the shard of glass  out of my head blood started gushing everywhere.”

An ambulance rushed Mr Roberts to the Royal London Hospital. “It was a fifty fifty chance they could save my ear and the first surgery was to reconnect the ear and the second surgery to remove broken glass.”

He denied a defence suggestion of “making up” the university jibe from Crathern and “talking bull****” about the defendant being a legitimate oil trader.

Crathern’s lawyer Josh Normanton said: “The suggestion is you are taking the Mickey out of this defendant, ribbing and bullying him that he is making up being an oil trader.”

Mr Roberts denied this, saying: “I disagree that we antagonised him about his profession,” also denying Crathern accidentally knocked the whiskey glass into his head.

Crathern says he was striking at Mr Andrews and accidentally caught Mr Roberts’ arm.

“You walk into this and as the defendant strikes across he hits your whiskey glass into your face,” suggested the lawyer.

“Is it true you are standing up to get in the defendant’s face? It is an accident. You have gone into the confrontation and that glass has got knocked into your head.”

Mr Roberts insisted: “It was not accidental.”

“You are trying to find a way to ensure this defendant pays the penalty for the injuries you have suffered,” suggested Mr Normanton. “It is a far from honest account. You have lied.”

Mr Roberts quit his City job after the incident and no longer works in the area. “I have slight paranoia about being outside and in the first year or so it was very challenging.

“I have a large amount of scarring where the shard of glass went through the back of my head.”

He told the court he turned down the option of further cosmetic surgery.

Earlier prosecutor John Livingston told the jury: “He suffered tear injuries to his left ear and Mr Crathern inflicted the wound.

“A shard of glass was smashed into his ear, causing a severe wound. He tears part of the outside of the lobe and part of the ear behind.”

Security staff detained Crathern and police were called to the hotel.

He claimed he was acting in self-defence and told the officers: “I have been provoked. I was reacting to what was said to me.”