Alex Grant, 34, and his partner, who asked not to be named, were walking home after a swim at Hampstead Heath on July 1 last year when they were approached while holding hands in Camden. Mariuzs Smietana and Dariusz Wawrzenczyk shouted homophobic slurs before Smietana, 46, spat on the couple's legs and threw fruit at them that he had stolen from a local store, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard.
Smietana then chased the pair, shouting in Polish “f**k off wh***s” and “f***ing gays”. The couple called 999 from a nearby pub and officers later arrested both men.
Victims describe fear
In a victim impact statement, Mr Grant said the attack left him “shaken, restless, and unable to sleep”. He added: “What had been a quiet summer’s evening spent enjoying the weather swimming with my boyfriend turned into a night full of fear and angst which lasted for many days afterwards.”
His partner, who moved to the UK from Turkey to live freely as a gay man, said the assault had left him worried for his safety. Speaking from behind a privacy curtain, he said: “Whenever we go somewhere, I find myself thinking about how we will get home, which route we should take, and whether it is safe for us to walk together openly. ‘I know these may sound like small considerations, but they have become part of my daily life, and I do not think a simple walk home with the person I love should evoke that kind of fear or calculation.”
Court hears of previous offences
Both Smietana and Wawrzenczyk, 37, denied charges of assault by beating. The court heard Smietana had previously been cautioned for shoplifting in 2015, while Wawrzenczyk was extradited to Poland in 2023 following a non-conviction disposal for assaulting an emergency worker. Smietana was also said to have issues with alcohol use, as well as difficulties after the loss of an unborn child and health issues relating to his partner.
District Judge Vanessa Lloyd said neither defendant had shown remorse, but acknowledged their chance of reoffending was low. She said: “I don’t think any amount of money can compensate for what happened to them last night.”
Sentencing
Both were fined a total of £439 each, including £325 in court costs and a £114 surcharge, and were ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activities.
