Man made noises like ‘animal’ in bottle attack

JON MACPHERSON

ALEGAL firm executive who launched a drunken bottle attack on a man in a public street while making noises like an ‘animal’ has been jailed.

Saul Oyefeso, from Accrington, was at a pub in Preston when he interrupted victim David Leniewski, 57, who was talking privately to his daughter and colleagues.

Preston Crown Court heard that despite being repeatedly asked to leave the group alone, the 25-year-old defendant ‘kept coming back’ and at one point tried to offer them legal advice.

Prosecutor David Clarke said: “Matters then took an unfortunate turn in terms of the tone of the defendant and how he was interacting with them.”

The court heard that Mr Leniewski ‘made it clear in no uncertain terms he wanted the defendant to go away’ but his behaviour continued.

When Oyefeso allegedly put a small amount of powder on a coin and offered it to the group they decided they ‘ had enough’ and left the pub, the Bull & Royal.

Mr Clarke said that they walked down the street in the direction of Manchester Road but were followed by Oyefeso who was ‘shouting abuse’.

Mr Leniewski said he ‘felt threatened and concerned for his daughter’ as the defendant was carrying a bottle in one hand and a glass in the other.

The court heard that Mr Leniewski’s daughter was ‘clearly wound up by what was going on’ and his colleagues were ‘holding her back’.

Mr Leniewski said he then became ‘verbally assertive’ and moved towards the defendant who was ‘making noises as if he was imitating an animal’.

Oyefeso then threw a bottle towards him which missed and smashed the window of Sandos takeaway, causing more than £500 worth of damage.

Mr Clarke said the defendant’s mobile phone fell on the floor and as Mr Leniewski tried to pick it up he was struck to the back of the head by a glass thrown by Oyefeso.

The victim managed to hold onto the phone before other people chased the defendant down the street.

The court heard that Mr Leniewski was ‘bleeding heavily’ and was treated by his wife at home.

Mr Clarke said the defendant asserted that ‘something was said in his direction and he had therefore chosen to follow the group down the street’.

Oyefeso accepted throwing the bottle which broke the takeaway window and said he threw the glass to ‘prevent his phone being stolen’.

Oyefeso, of Nuttall Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to GBH and criminal damage in relation to the incident.

The court heard that he has 14 convictions for 19 offences but with ‘limited offences of violence’ on his record.

Defence barrister Ian McMeekin said: “He works, dare it I say believe it or not, for a legal firm, the director of which sits in court.

“He will be no doubt horrified by what he has just seen on the video footage and equally incapable of trying to reconcile what he has seen with the person he knows well.

“The fact is that this defendant has, over the past 12 to 18 months, built a reputation within this firm as a legal executive providing advice in commercial cases.”

Mr McMeekin said the defendant ‘finds it difficult to explain’ his criminal behaviour.

He said: “It’s a combination of drink and an inability to control his temper in a situation when he could and should known better.

“It’s difficult to reconcile the aggression the court has seen on the video footage with the character of the defendant.

“Sometimes it would not harm for a court to see the exchanges that take place between defence counsel and a client who during the course of the conference exhibits genuine remorse.”

Mr McMeekin said Oyefeso’s partner had also written a ‘heartfelt and forceful message’ to the judge in his support.

Judge David Potter jailed the defendant for a total of 16 months.