PRAINER: FATHER AND SON JAILED FOR ATTACK ON GOOD SAMARITAN
Central News, Press Room, Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, LONDON, EC4.
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Snaresbrook Crown Court/ Nick Cullen
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16 September 2011
savage…1
A father and son who inflicted a savage beating on an innocent motorist after wrongly blaming him for injuring their relative in a road accident were jailed for a year today (Fri).
Lajos Prainer, 51, and his son Lewis, 22, rained kicks and punches on terrified Alexis Kasongo as he cowered in the street.
The victim had got out of his car to help Lewis’ twin brother Aaron, who had collided with his vehicle moments earlier.
Aaron had been driving a stolen motorcycle at ‘grossly excessive speed’ through a built-up area when he smashed into blameless Mr Kasongo’s car.
But Lajos and Lewis launching a ferocious mob attack on the driver along with three unidentified accomplices.
When police arrived Lajos subjected the victim to a racist tirade against ‘people who come over here with their fake licences.’
Father and son were both jailed for 12 months at Snaresbrook Crown Court today after a jury took just 35 minutes to unanimously convict them of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Aaron Prainer was in court in a wheel wheelchair to see his father and brother sentenced on the day of the brother’s birthday
Jurors laughed in disbelief during the trial as the defendants tried to claim that 5ft 4ins Mr Kasongo had been the aggressor in the incident.
The victim was so traumatised by the attack that he lost his job in a ticket office and had to move house because he was scared of further reprisals.
Passing sentence, Judge Tudor Owen told the Prainers: ‘When you gave evidence, and this applies to both of you, I couldn’t help but notice the jury actually laughing to themselves at the ridiculous story you were telling.
‘I noticed expressions between them of raised eyebrows, rolled eyes and sometimes just laughing with each other at the ridiculous lying story you both gave.
‘It’s no surprise that they came back in 35 minutes to convict you.
‘Mr Kasongo was examined at length by your counsel. He struck me as a thoroughly decent man, clearly not of violent nature.
‘The suggestion that he started the fight was ludicrous.
‘He said he was terrified, and of course he was, because he was set on by a bunch of thugs.
‘He had done absolutely nothing wrong.’
In addition to the prison sentence, the judge ordered Lajos Prainer to pay £2,000 in compensation to Mr Kasongo and £750 in court costs.
Prosecutor Simeon Hopkins told the court the initial accident took place on Bastable Avenue in Barking, East London on 15 September last year.
Mr Kasongo had gone out in his car to buy groceries when Aaron Prainer, riding a stolen motorcycle at high speed, collided with his car.
The rider was thrown across the road, bending a lamppost with his body and damaging a bus shelter, and sustaining serious injury in the process.
Mr Kisongo immediately used his mobile phone to call the emergency services and then got out of his car to see how the youth was.
But he was soon set upon by Lewis Prainer and his father who lived in the area and had been told about the accident by other local residents.
The court heard that Lajos Prainer held the victims arms while Lewis and other unidentified attackers punched him. He fell to the floor where the mob proceeded to kick him repeatedly.
When police arrived Lajos shouted: ‘These bastards come over here with their fake licenses, and look what he’s done.’
Mr Kasongo held a full UK driving licence, whereas Aaron Prainer was speeding on his stolen vehicle without insurance.
Judge Owen commented: ‘He was black. That’s why you made that comment.’
In police interview, Lajos also said that the victim was ‘lucky’ that ‘the whole estate’ was not after him.
Sarah Morris, defending both father and son, said they had been given wrong information about the circumstances of the accident by others at the scene.
She said: ‘They saw Aaron in a terrible state. He was lying there in a desperate state and neither Lajos his father nor Lewis his twin thought there was anything they could do for him.’
She said the Prainers tried to take ‘some sort of revenge’ on the person they were told was to blame, and added that their actions were not premeditated.
Lajos Prainer, of (38) Glenmore Way, Barking, and Lewis Prainer, of (50) Charlton Crescent, Barking, denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
ENDS
DOBs:
Lajos Prainer: 13/12/59
Lewis Prainer: 16/9/89
