UFC Announcer Guilty Of Assaulting 14 Year-Old Schoolboy In Lime Bike Row

Court Fight: Friedlander

An Ultimate Fighting Championship announcer assaulted a 14 year-old schoolboy after a Lime bike was knocked over, blocking the pavement outside his £1.6m home.

Sports entrepreneur Andrew Friedlander, 51, was told by a Judge: “It was not for you to act as the local vigilante to hold them to account,” after he was convicted of grabbing the teen’s neck.

The £100,00 a year founder of ‘The Sports Presentation Company’ fought the charge, claiming he was acting in his civic duty and found himself surrounded by nearly a dozen teenagers.

He was convicted of assaulting the schoolboy outside the family home he shares with his wife and 17 year-old daughter in Hertford Avenue, East Sheen on November 25, last year.

The University of South Wales graduate was fined £2,500, with £650 costs and ordered to pay £250 compensation to the victim, plus a £1,000 victim surcharge.

He was the UFC’s UK/Europe live announcer, introducing mixed martial arts fighters into the Octagon before joining the presenting team at Cage Warriors.

Prosecutor Catherine van Zeeland told Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court: “There was use of substantial force and possible strangulation against a vulnerable victim, due to their age.”

The area outside Friedlander’s smart semi-detached had become an unofficial docking bay for the cycle hire scheme and large numbers of Lime bikes were routinely scattered in the immediate vicinity of his property.

He told the court: “I was working in my office at the front of my house and there was a loud crunching sound and I saw a Lime bike blocking the pavement and my intention was to unblock the pavement.

“I was curious as to what happened as I’ve seen disturbances out there before.

“I thought: ’Someone needs to pick up that bike,’ and there were a dozen or more school kids spread out.

Lime Bikes Dumped Outside Friedlander's Home

“The bike was blocking the pavement and I was like: ‘Lads, you know, let’s pick the bike up,’ and there was immediate denial: ‘It weren’t us.’

“I tried to appeal to their better nature and said: ‘C’mon lads, let’s pick up the bike,’ and there was a holding of ground and a flat denial of: ‘It weren’t us mate.’

“There was a group of them and the height difference isn’t much so it became a bit more tense.

“Now all of a sudden I’m outnumbered in a different
situation.

“I’m not an aggressive front foot type of guy, but felt there should be some authority and said: ‘C’mon, pick up the f***ing bike.’

“I’m in a pair of slippers, surrounded by a group of teenagers. I have no knowledge of who they are and they were a similar size to me.

“I did the countdown to three and my assumption was people would disperse.

“I started thinking: ‘Oh s***,’ what’s the next thing here?

“No-one was budging and I was concerned I was outnumbered. I took hold of one boy by the material of his collar and moved him towards the bike.

“We picked up the bike together and a bit sarcastically, with my adrenalin up I said: ‘Thanks.’

“It was probably a strong grip. I am not someone who is aggressive, but it felt like the thing to do to remove myself from the group.

On Yer Bike: Friedlander Arriving For Trial

“There was no intention to hurt of injure.”

However, the victim gave an account of a far more aggressive Friedlander, who ironically arrived at court for his trial on a Lime Bike,
as he gave evidence from behind a screen.

The teen told the trial: “A person approached me from behind and said: ‘Who knocked over the Lime bike? If you don’t pick it up I’m going to smash your face through this fence and drag you to my door.’

“I was nervous and shocked and he counted down from three and when he reached one he grabbed my neck and dragged me to the Lime bike and made me pick it up.”

The schoolboy conceded he may have caught the Lime bike, which was leaning against a tree, with the blazer of his uniform as he walked past, accidentally knocking it over.

“It was seven steps to the Lime bike. He was ahead of me and pulling me and I was a bit sore afterwards, there were marks and a scratch on my neck.

“I picked it up, worried I would be assaulted again.”

When he got home his mother took an image of a scratch and small nick to his neck, which he says was caused by the defendant.

When cross-examined by Friedlander’s lawyer Erin McKee the schoolboy said: “It’s not like I pulled the bike, it just fell. I didn’t see it as a problem, I’ve often seen Lime bikes on the ground.”

His 14 year-old friend told the court: “As we walked past the Lime bike it fell over and a man started asking questions about who knocked over the bike.

“He said: ‘If you don’t pick up the bike I’m going to slam your heads through my front door,’ and started counting down from three.

“He grabbed my friend by his neck and dragged him over to the bike.”

 

When cross-examined Friedlander said: “I wanted to place some responsibility on people walking past my house. I felt a civic responsibility.

“They are children, but they are also teenagers and there was a lot of them. They were behind me, in front of me and to my left.

“In the moment I felt surrounded. I was by myself in an unexpected situation, not primed for battle in my slippers and a group of young men not backing down, not budging. I was outnumbered.

“I grabbed the material on his shirt and blazer. I can’t be sure there wasn’t skin when I put my finger and thumb together.

“It was force to move away from a potentially volatile situation.

“It is possible in that moment a finger caught his neck, but it wasn’t intentional.

“I am not unaware young people in London carry knives and at that age there is a pack mentality and if one of them said: ‘Let’s go,’ they would have all followed.

“The physical threat was something I was more than conscious of.”

District Judge Sushil Kumar announced: “Mr Friedlander said in his evidence he needed to ‘escalate or assert’ and that ‘a bit of authority was needed.’

“I couldn’t understand this approach. This did not support his assertion that he was in fear of the children and taking one boy by the collar was more likely to escalate the situation.

“This was not the behaviour of someone in fear. He was not acting in fear or self-defence.

“If he was in fear of violence his action of turning his back on the boys and heading home is puzzling.

“He was irked by perceived disrespect in an area he cared about and this local resident resorted to vulgarity and made a threat to smash or slam and then grabbed the boy around the throat.

“His actions were not in self-defence and parts of his evidence were deliberately untruthful.”

Miss McKee told the court: “His references reflect his standing in the community and he has been running his business for fourteen years, supports his family and his behaviour is usually calm and placid.

“It is the first time he has come into contact with the criminal justice system and this conviction will be a heavy burden on him as he frequently travels to the USA.

“He has expressed a great deal of hindsight and acknowledges that he could have handled this differently.”

Sentencing a clearly unhappy Friedlander Judge Kumar told him: “This conviction follows compelling evidence. It was not for you to act as the local vigilante to hold them to account.

“As soon as you lay hands on somebody potentially vulnerable there is risk of additional harm and those injuries, that small nick was caused by the incident.

“The greater punishment will be the loss of your good character. You will not wear that lightly in your business and your travel and that is a significant punishment.

“This offence was an aberration and there has been no repeat of this concerning behaviour since.”

Hotel Asylum Seeker Sexually Assaulted Three Local Women

Staines Magistrates' Court

The bicycle-riding resident of an asylum hotel near Gatwick Airport was this week convicted of groping three women as he rode past them to and from his illegal car wash job.

Qais Al-Aswad, 26, who resides at Four Points By Sheraton Hotel, Brighton Road, Horley, Surrey denied the charges, claiming the cyclist caught on CCTV was not him.

At Staines Magistrates’ Court he was found guilty of three counts of sexually assaulting the women in Horley, Surrey on May 23; June 4  and June 12. 

Prosecutor Mr Alan Balneaves told the trial: “The first charge is at approximately 9.00pm in Consort Way, Horley when the complaint was walking with her mother away from a local pub.

“This is the same route this defendant takes from Horley train station to his home at a hotel.

“There is CCTV that follows part of that route and it shows a person on a bike approaching the complaint from behind and slapping her bottom.

“The cyclist was wearing a rather distinctive camouflage jacket and blue greenish jeans and a black hat.”

The prosecution case is the bike and clothing, plus the clothing linked to subsequent assaults along belong to Al-Aswad.

“This first complainant did not see the person approach and by the time the assault is made she does not get a good look as the person rides off,” added the prosecutor.

“CCTV at Horley train station shows this defendant in the same jacket and trousers.”

The blonde complainant, 32, told the court she had just left the Jack Fairman pub and was walking along the pavement with her mother, with CCTV showing the incident.

“Out of nowhere a guy cycled very close and slapped my bum and said: ‘excuse me.’ I did not see his face. He was wearing a camouflage jacket.

“At the time I was shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before and it made me feel violated. It was from behind and I had no idea he was approaching.”

Mr Balneaves said the second assault on June 4 occurred just after 9.00pm.

“She was walking along the same route as the first complainant and the rider approaches from behind and grabs and squeezes her bottom.

“There is footage from the street CCTV and Horley train station.

“We can see he is wearing rather distinctive trainers and there is phone cell site analysis that puts his phone in the area.”

The court heard Al-Aswad was wearing the same trainers and had a distinctive Air Jordan rucksack when hotel CCTV recorded him leaving for the car wash that morning at 5.46am.

The red-haired woman, 58, who had just left Horley station told the court: “I was walking along on the pavement and all of a sudden there was a gentleman to my left on a bike.

“He squeezed my left bum cheek and rode off. It was quite a shock and I shouted a couple of swear words.

“The cyclist turned and looked at me and I stuck my finger up at him and he did the same to me, smiled and rode off.”

The third assault was on June 12 at around 10.45am, when Al-Aswad insists he was at the car wash.

“A bike rider appears from the front and as he approaches and is about to pass he grabs her crotch vaginal area,” said the prosecutor.

“There is compilation CCTV of him riding his bicycle that shows him wearing his distinctive trainers, Air Jordan backpack and a two-tone jacket.”

The woman, 26, who has distinctive long blonde hair told the trial she was near Waitrose in Consort Way.

“I had just left a shop to meet my partner and daughter and got my phone out when I became aware of a cyclist on the pavement.

“The cyclist was coming towards me and as the cyclist went past he reached down and touched my vagina.

“I turned around and shouted at him and as I shouted they stopped, looked around and he kissed his hand that he just touched my vagina with.

“I was shook up instantly. It all happened really quickly and I was caught off guard. I got one glance and could not see his face really because of his hand.”

Al-Aswad insisted he did not touch any of the local white women, claiming items of his clothing were worn by an Egyptian man, who often sneaked into his hotel room via the window.

The bike was given to him by a charity and he said others often use it.

Muslim Al-Aswad, wearing HMP Wandsworth-issued grey sweat pants and grey t-shirt, seemed more concerned with whining about his personal circumstances when giving evidence.

“I left my country. I left my wife and kids in the camp and seek safety,” he said via an Arabic interpreter.

“I want to know what you are going to do with me today. I want to know that if I am found guilty, how am I going to see my wife?”

He continued to deny he was the cyclist captured on CCTV, insisting: “I have not assaulted any women. I have not assaulted anyone or kissed any women. I was at work.”

He was identified via his distinctive Adidas trainers, but claimed: “They are my trainers, but all of them borrow my trainers. This is not me.”

Before the trial Al-Aswad was complaining from the dock: “I want to see the people who complained about me. I have not done anything wrong.

“I have a lot of friends that use my clothes and use my bike. I have got a homeless friend from Egypt who climbs in through my window and I give him clothes.

“It has been two months for me in prison and I don’t understand why I am in prison. I want to get out of this.”

After she convicted him after a two-hour trial District Judge Julie Cooper remanded Al-Aswad in custody until October 1 for a pre-sentence report.

“These are sexual offences and I need to know more about you before I can sentence you,” she told him.

“The same bike was used, the person wore your trousers and your camouflage and two-tone jacket were found at your place,” the judge announced.

“Your phone shows you at the sites the attacks took place and your distinctive backpack was worn and the same method of assault was employed on each occasion.”

Ex-Pupils Claim £2m School Blaze Was Started By BBQ

Louis Hall-Simper

Two former pupils, who burned down a building at their former primary school in a £2m blaze, told police it was accidentally started by their disposable BBQ, a trial heard.

Louis Hall-Simper, 23, and Harry Shearman, 22, had been drinking that night and claimed they were using the BBQ to keep warm and had made efforts to extinguish it.

However, the prosecution say there was no evidence of a BBQ in the debris and even if the ex-pupils’ account is true they were at least reckless in starting the fire.

The Woodies Building at Hinchley Wood Primary School, Esher, Surrey was completely destroyed in the early hours of September 26, 2021.

Both Hall-Simper and Shearman have pleaded not guilty to one count of arson.

Prosecutor Tim Sleigh told the Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court jury: “On that night the wooden building burned down, causing over two million pounds worth of damage.

“These two defendants were past pupils of the school some years earlier.

“They had met that night, drank some alcohol and decided to break into their old school at 11.00pm and having entered the grounds they sat in a courtyard.

“That area was partly covered by wooden struts and having sat there for a while they broke into the school building and CCTV evidence shows them looking around.

“Meanwhile, a fire developed outside the building while the defendants were inside and when they realised this they fled.

“The fire brigade extinguished the fire, but were not able to save the building and it was destroyed,” explained Mr Sleigh. 

Harry Shearman

“You will have to decide if their behaviour was reckless or deliberate,” he told the jurors.

“No disposable BBQ was found, but one would not necessarily be discovered. 

“Experts will tell you the fire could have burned at 430 degrees centigrade.”

When initially questioned by police neither defendant mentioned anything about a BBQ.

“Shearman initially said they had sat in the area, but he did not know how the fire started and then he said in his second interview they had lit a disposable BBQ to stay warm.

“He said they left it when they decided to enter the school , but he had urinated and poured water onto it.

“In his second interview Hall-Simper gave a similar account about the BBQ and that they had left it pretty much extinguished.

“Did these defendants see a risk at leaving that BBQ there and was it unreasonable to take that risk?” asked Mr Sleigh. 

“You will be invited to consider by the prosecution that these two defendants committed arson on that day.”

Trial continues………….. 

Historic Sex Offence Charges: Three Men In Court

Three men, accused of historic sex offences against underage girls within their community, appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court for the first time last week.

The charges stretch back over three decades and involve five young girls, all aged under sixteen years-old at the time and in relation to one complainant, under thirteen years-old.

All of the alleged offences are said to have occurred within the London Borough of Croydon and one in Streatham, Lambeth.

They are: Farhan Hussain, 48, (pic.top) of Ashling Road, Croydon; Anwar Ishaq, 58, (pic.mid) of Colonels View, Dingwall, Ross-shire and Saleem Khan, 63, (pic.bottom) of Handcroft Road, Croydon.

Hussain faces a total of fifteen charges relating to all four girls on dates between August 2, 1989 and January 10, 2004.

He is charged with two counts of rape against the first girl; two counts of rape and five counts of indecent assault against the second girl; four counts of indecent assault and one count of inciting gross indecency against the third girl and and inciting gross indecency against the fourth girl.

Ishaq is charged with two counts of rape against the first girl on dates between December 26, 1994 and December 25, 1997 and a charge of assaulting the fifth girl by touching between June 6, 2004 and June 5, 2005.

Khan is charged with one count of raping the first girl between December 26, 1994 and December 25, 1996.

All three were bailed on condition they do not contact the prosecution witnesses to appear at Croydon Crown Court on September 12.