Shock for golfers as punches thrown on the fairway

Golfers on one of London’s top courses were horrified when a rail passenger chased another man onto fairway and punched him in the head repeatedly, a court heard.

Junior Patten, 47, called Ibrar Khan a ‘p*ki’ at West Ruislip Station then followed him onto the nearby golf course, Willesden Magistrates’ Court heard.

Prosecutor Les Rowley said: ‘The incident took place during the late afternoon of 20 June this year.

‘The victim in this case was outside West Ruislip station when Mr Patten made some remarks to him, one of which was calling him a p*ki.

‘As a result, Mr Khan called the police. Mr Patten walked off and Mr Khan decided to follow him and they walk on to Ruislip Golf Course.

‘While Mr Khan was on the phone talking to police, it is alleged that Mr Patten came back to him and punched him in the head, causing him to fall to the ground, before kicking him in the stomach.’

Mr Khan told the court he was ‘shocked’ by Patten’s behaviour.

He said: ‘He called me a p*ki so I decided to call the police. I was on the phone and I followed him, but then I saw him approaching.

‘I say to him: “I am reporting you to the police”. He runs towards me and he punches my head three times.

‘I fell and I can see him hitting me twice with his leg. My mobile dropped and I saw him running towards the car park on the golf course.

‘I grabbed my phone and the police were still on the line and I followed him, but this time I kept my distance.’

Mr Khan said he considered leaving the UK after the alleged assault.

He told the court: ‘I have lived in this country for 11 years and I have never had a problem.

‘No one has ever abused me or done anything like this before. It has shocked me. It makes me consider to leave this country as well.’

Patten admitted his comments were ‘totally regrettable’ and admitted racially aggravated provocation.

He denied assault by beating, claiming he acted in self-defence, but he was convicted after a trial.

Patten told the court that Khan had threatened him saying: ‘Come back here so I can kick your ass.’

He claimed: ‘I didn’t want no trouble. I was going to visit a friend. I just looked at him and I knew he was not pleased with what I said.

‘I said can’t you just get over it, sticks and stones. That is when he swung at me and hit me in the shoulder.

‘I said to him: “Please stop following me.” That’s when the little scuffle came about.

‘There was just a few punches and then I got up and ran out towards the car park as I thought it was getting a bit serious.’

Patten added: ‘I didn’t catch him once on the head. It was all on the body.

‘This idea of getting into physical and brutal fight, that’s not true at all. I just defended myself and reacted to what he did.’

Chair of the Bench Vivian McCarthy said: ‘It is agreed in this case that Mr Patten and Mr Khan were both present at West Ruislip station.

‘It is agreed that there was a physical altercation between the two men.

‘Mr Patten had said that he had felt threatened by Mr Khan and that was the reason he had hit him. He said he should not have done so but Mr Khan had drawn him in.’

‘Mr Patten had said Mr Khan had followed him and a little scuffle ensued. He said he should ‘just get over it’.

‘He said he was reacting and defending himself as Mr Khan had swung at him first and hit him in the shoulder.

‘However, we are satisfied that Mr Patten was the aggressor in this case and he was not acting in self-defence when he punched Mr Khan in the head and kneed him in the chest, and we therefore find Mr Patten guilty.’

Patten, of Chobham Gardens, Wimbledon, southwest London, admitted racially aggravated provocation but denied assault by beating.

He was bailed ahead of sentence at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 9 October.

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