Ban for thug who slapped Little Mix star’s face
‘HUMILIATED’ BY ASSAULT
A JOBLESS bodybuilder who slapped Little Mix star Leigh-Anne Pinnock’s face in a restaurant has been banned from going near the star.
Terroll Lewis, 27, admitted attacking the Black Magic singer at VQ restaurant in London.
Lewis, 27, who did not know LeighAnne, inset, harassed the star and her friend Grace Davies last November and boasted that his own girlfriend was better looking than the pop babe.
After an argument Lewis slapped her in the face in an attack which left the star feeling “humiliated”.
Prosecutor Demi Ugurtay said: “The ladies were joined at their table by Mr Lewis.
“At first it seemed to be quite amicable and then the defendant starts to say things along the lines of, ‘You would be intimidated if my girlfriend was here’. He kept saying that.
“Both Miss Pinnock and Miss Davies were quite confused and answered that no, they wouldn’t.
“Mr Lewis then turned around to Miss Davies and said, ‘Shut up.’ Miss Pinnock said, ‘Don’t talk to my friend like that’.
“Mr Lewis gets up, comes around and slaps her in the face. It was an unprovoked attack.”
Highbury magistrates were last week shown CCTV footage of the attack, which showed Leigh-Anne recoiling in horror as she was struck.
The court heard how Lewis, of West Norwood, south London, then left the restaurant and later attended a police station.
A victim impact statement from Leigh-Anne, who did not attend court because of illness, was read out. It said: “The assault did not leave any cuts, bruises or marks. However, the boldness of the guy to assault me like that left me in a state of shock, embarrassment and humiliation.” Lewis, who calls himself a “vlogger”, has 100,000 Instagram followers but is broke and lives with his mum. He claimed he had only meant to “push Leigh-Anne’s face” and slapped her accidentally when she moved away.
But District Judge Robin McPhee, said the excuse rubbished Lewis’ claims of remorse.
He said: “You had gone over to the table, the conversation had clearly taken a turn you didn’t like. “You used your size to intimidate and then slap her.
“I am aware that because of her position as a member of a particular pop group she is more vulnerable to approaches from members of the public.”
He added: “You were no more than a member of the public who had gone over to engage her in conversation. There was an argument. Clearly your temper got the better of you on this occasion. “Miss Pinnock is entitled to go out in public and eat in a restaurant without being molested in the way that you did on this occasion. “We need to prevent that from happening for the foreseeable future.” Lewis, who admitted assault, was slapped with a three-year restraining order which bans him from contacting Leigh-Ann.
He was further given an electronically-tagged curfew and ordered to pay £625 in costs, £200 in compensation as well as an £85 court surcharge.