An old soldier in London to support a march by ex-
An old soldier in London to support a march by ex-Paras suffered a ruptured spleen after being attacked in crowded Leicester Square, a court heard today (Wed).
Thrown to the ground, it is alleged the 61-year-old pensioner was kicked three times to the head and body.
A jury was told at London’s Southwark Crown Court that ‘mercifully’ Ian Goulding remembered nothing of the assault because as a diabetic, he was already falling into a ‘trance’ suffering from a hypoglyceamic episode.
But the brutal attack was witnessed by a 15-year-old schoolgirl and an American tourist who identified Desmond Baiden as the attacker.
Victim Ian Goulding had travelled from Ickenham, Mddx, to witness veterans of the Red Berets protest at a proposal to remove the historic flying horse Pegasus as the emblem of the Parachute Regiment last September.
He was retruning home when he ws allegedly assaulted by 26-year-old Baiden.
Mr Jacob Hallam, prosecuting, described the victim, a former infantryman, as ‘a retired man who suffers diabetes.
Thankfully for him, he has no recollection, whatsoever, of the assault he suffered.
‘He simply cannot remember.
‘
Counsel said it appeared that at the time the pensioner was suffering a ‘fit’ caused by a lack of sugar.
But Mr Hallam alleged the row was sparked after victim and defendant were sat next to each other on a bench in Leicester Square Gardens – heated words causing Baiden to throw the former soldier to the ground and ‘deliberately’ assault him.
He said one witness at first believed the two men knew each other and were ‘fooling around.
‘ But he added: ‘The witness was abut to find out in no uncertain terms that what he was witnessing was a deliberate assault.
‘First of all a kick to the head, a kick to the abdomen, and a third kick to the body.
‘
An ambulance was called and Mr Goulding spent six days in hospital after it was discoevered he suffered from a haemorrhage to the spleen.
Baiden, of (22) Maida Vale Road, west London, denies causing grievous bodily harm with intent on September 28, last year.
He maintains he was acting in self-defence after the pensioner made racist remarks to him and Goulding ‘hurled’ himself towards him throwing a number of punches.
Mr Hallam told the court it was an ‘account’ which did not lie easily with facts – a ‘prone’ man aged in his sixties had been ‘deliberately’ kicked three times.
Mr Goulding, who walked into court with the aid of a stick, told the court that sometimes he underwent such a diabetic attack without warning – and it could cause him to stagger as if drunk, wave his arms about, and shout about episodes that took place up to 40 years ago.
He told Mr Francis Sheridan, defending, he had no recollection of screaming abuse – such as the words ‘go back home’ and ‘nigger’ towards the defendant – but said it would have been ‘out of character.
‘
Asked by Mr Sheridan if he had possibly been ‘out of order’ and lashed out ‘trying to punch’ the defendant, Mr Goulding replied: ‘I don’t think I would do that.
‘
The trial continues.
ends
