Four jailed for attack on passenger
Victim brutally beaten for challenging gang for using abusive language in front of children
FOUR men have been jailed for a brutal attack on a 20-year-old man who challenged them for using ‘abusive and offensive’ language in front of bus passengers and children.
The assault occurred on August 10 last summer, after the victim got off the bus in Uxbridge. He was punched in the head and knifed during the horrific attack.
Detectives at Hillingdon CID retrieved crucial CCTV evidence at the scene, which captured the entire attack and, as a result, all four men were located and arrested within a matter of hours.
Ethan Fredrick, 19, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 10 years at Isleworth Crown Court on April 10 for affray, attempted GBH, possessing an offensive weapon and breaching his bail conditions.
The three others who had been sentenced on February 6 in connection with the incident, are: Kieron Jordan Benoit, 23, of no fixed abode, who was jailed for 27 months for affray; Alex Hall, 20, of Scotts Road, Southall, who was jailed for two years for affray and theft (stealing the victim’s jacket); and Iane John Anthony Lester, 23, of Wise Lane, West Drayton, who was jailed for two years for affray.
The court heard how at 9.30am on the day of the attack, the victim challenged the group’s behaviour on the top deck of a rail replacement service bus from Eastcote to Uxbridge town centre.
The group had been using racially offensive language and were swearing loudly in front of passengers of all ages, including young children. The victim asked them to consider their language, which was met with immediate anger from the group.
When the victim got off the bus and walked along an alleyway from York Road, all four suspects followed and confronted him.
The victim made an attempt to get away, however Frederick lunged at the victim with a knife, slashing him on the neck. All four men left the scene, leaving the victim injured. A witness called police and the Ambulance Service.
The victim was treated in hospital for a cut to the neck and has since made a good recovery.