SLUSARCZYK: FARE DODGER ATTACKED STATION MANAGER

A fare dodger who battered a train station manager and said he would make sure his wife did not recognise him has walked free from court.

Customer services boss Mario Jenkins, 43, had gone to help a colleague settle a dispute with Wojciech Slusarczyk, 29, at the Liverpool Street Station ticket barrier when he was set upon by the thug.

Slusarczyk followed him to a private office, floored him and punched him repeatedly in the face, smashing his head onto the concrete floor.

The victim believes he could have been killed were it not for security guards coming to his aid after hearing his screams.

Mr Jenkins, a customer services manager for National Express East Anglia, was left black and blue and with concussion and was off work for seven weeks following the attack.

Slusarczyk denied the assault claiming self defence but was found guilty following a trial at Blackfriars Crown Court.

Judge Jane Sullivan handed him a 12-month community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work.

Mr Jenkins was working a nightshift when he was called to assist a ticket inspector in the early hours of June 11 last year.

He said he found Slusarczyk ranting about having to pay a £19.80 fare after getting off a train from Stansted.

‘He was asking for his money back,’ said Mr Jenkins.

‘I showed him a picture of a penalty fare. Then he started saying: ‘Are you f**cking stupid, I’ve got no money for food.

‘I said: ‘I can’t understand. You’ve produced a valid ticket, you can just leave the station and go. The train service isn’t free.

‘He started to swear at me.

‘I told him he could complain if he wanted to but the conversation was over.

‘I walked away. He was swearing on the concourse and saying: ‘Nothing is over.”

Mr Jenkins said the Pole was behind him again as he made his way to his office and he quickened his pace to get away from him.

As he got into a private corridor he realised the pest was there too.

He told the jury: ‘National Express has cut back on a lot of staff – there’s nobody in the office apart from me.

‘Because the security level is four – a high level of terrorist threat as level five is when a bomb’s just gone off – I was forced to approach him whether I want to or not.

‘I said: ‘You’re on private property and I need you to leave.’

‘He didn’t answer. He was just looking left, right, at the ceiling.

‘He shouted: ‘No cameras.’

‘He’s run at me with all his body weight and banged me in the chest, boom, and barged past me.

‘I had two bruises the next day to prove it.

‘He’s shouting and swearing.

‘He swung three or four heavy punches into my face.

‘I felt my life was in danger.

‘I grabbed him by his clothing and pushed him to the wall shouting: ‘Stop, that’s enough.’

‘But it got worse.

‘A big struggle took place and I went back. He was on top of me.

‘He’s punching me as hard as he could and my head was banging on the concrete floor.

‘He’s saying: ‘I’m gonna make sure your wife don’t recognise you.’

‘He continued punching me.

‘Luck saved me that night.

‘The security guards heard me shouting to him.

‘They’ve come and he’s stood back and I’ve reached into my pocket for my phone and called police.

‘I didn’t know I had a big cut on the back of my head but I was bleeding on the floor.

‘I couldn’t hear what they were saying as I had concussion.

‘I was in hospital most of the night and they sewed my head up.

‘My eye was shut for about a week.

‘I never take time off work but I had seven and a half weeks off.

‘I forced myself to go back because I didn’t want to end up being a victim.’

Slusarczyk, formerly of Bowes Road, Enfield, and now of Chiswick Village, Hounslow, west London, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was convicted.

Judge Sullivan told him: ‘The aggravating feature is the victim was merely trying to provide a service to the public.

‘However, I do feel able to deal with you by way of a community order.’
ends