Nurse pays for race hate attack on Poles wolf-whistling her
A NURSERY nurse on hate crime charges for attacking two Polish men told a court she had snapped after repeated wolf-whistling and sexual taunts from them.
Gemma Griffiths, 22, said that neighbours Karol Kozlowski and Piotr Erwinski had been making inappropriate remarks and whistling at her for six months.
Things came to a head after a night out with her boyfriend last November and she had a row with the pair – punching one in the head and slapping the other, which made him drop his phone.
Chester magistrates heard she was dragged away, shouting: “You ******* Polish ***** .”
Griffiths, apologised after admitting two counts of racially aggravated assault and one of racially aggravated criminal damage.
Slapped
She was sentenced to a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work.
She was also ordered to pay £75 compensation to Mr Erwinski and £50 to Mr Kozlowski, plus £85 prosecution costs and £85 victim surcharge.
Griffiths has since moved away from the two Poles.
Prosecutor Kate Marchuk said the Poles had made a number of sexual remarks and would wolfwhistle when Griffiths walked past them.
Ms Marchuk told the court that last November 26, Griffiths and her boyfriend were returning from a night out when an argument erupted with the men.
Griffiths punched Mr Kozlowski in the head and then tried to punch him again.
Her boyfriend intervened and dragged her away from the men.
As he did so, she called out the racial insult.
Mr Erwinski had begun to record the incident on his mobile phone and captured the racist language used.
Griffiths was then released by her boyfriend.
She slapped Mr Erwinski on the hand and arm and he dropped his phone, which smashed the screen.
Neither of the two men suffered any injury during the fracas, the court was told.
Steve Coupe, defending, stressed that Griffiths had only lashed out after being upset by the series of previous incidents.
He stressed that the attacks were the result of a “build up” of tension over six months.
Mr Coupe explained that a group of Polish men lived in the house opposite Griffiths and would congregate outside what was then her property.
He said Griffiths, who now lives in Broughton, near Chester, endured months of inappropriate sexual remarks and whistles.
Mr Coupe said that, after a night out drinking, resentful feelings towards the two men had finally “come to the fore”.