WATLINGTON: Student hit in unprovoked train assault
A man followed another male off a train and punched him repeatedly in the face before jumping back on and continuing his journey, a court heard.
Oliver Fournere, 22, assaulted Shaun Thurling on the platform at Watlington station in a “totally unprovoked attack”, Lynn magistrates were told.
Unemployed Fournere, of Farthing Road, Downham, appeared in court last Friday and admitted assaulting Mr Thurling on September 28 last year.
Yvonne Neill, prosecuting, said the victim boarded the train at Downham and sat across from a group of three friends, including Fournere.
She said Fournere shouted: “Why do we have to sit next to this?”, before turning on Mr Thurling, saying: “What are you staring at?”
She said a female with the defendant told him to “calm down and grow up”, but he continued to stare at the victim throughout the journey.
A statement from Mr Thurling, read to the court, said: “I asked him if he was all right and he was laughing with his friends, saying how scared I was. I said I wasn’t scared and he asked if I was getting off at Lynn. He then said he was going to teach me a lesson.”
At Watlington Station, Mr Thurling alighted, but Fournere followed him on to the platform.
Fournere then tapped Mr Thurling on the shoulder and punched him in the face when he turned around.
Ms Neill said Fournere hit his victim a further two or three times, before Mr Thurling hit him back in self-defence. Fournere then got back on the train to Lynn and the police were called.
Ms Neill added: “It was a totally unprovoked attack. The victim was over 18, but he was a young student just trying to have a journey from one place to another and didn’t expect to be assaulted in that way.”
Roger Glazebrook, mitigating, said Fournere had been drinking and there was a bit of banter between the parties that turned nasty.
Fournere also admitted breaching a restraining order banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend Shelby Jackson, after police caught him in her room on February 9.
Mr Glazebrook asked for the order to be lifted, as the couple wanted to get back together, but the bench refused.
Fournere was given a 12-month community order with 200-hours unpaid work on each offence, to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay £60 costs.
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Thursday 23 May 2013
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