Brutal West End Robbery Ends in Jail for Racist Attackers
David Stan, 18, and a teenage accomplice, just 15 at the time, launched a vicious late-night robbery in London’s West End that left two South Korean men battered and traumatised.
Racist Abuse and Violence on Coventry Street
In the early hours of Sunday, 19 July 2020, the pair targeted the men walking along Coventry Street. They threatened them and forced one to hand over an iPhone 11. When the victims gave chase, the attackers turned violent. Stan repeatedly punched one man, breaking his nose in multiple places, while the youth knocked the other unconscious.
During the fracas, one attacker shouted, “f***ing Chinese,” adding a vile, racist edge to the assault. They also made off with a £7,000 Hublot watch before boarding a bus from nearby Haymarket to escape.
CCTV Tracks Down Attackers – Justice Served
Thanks to CCTV footage, police swiftly identified the pair. On 13 April at Isleworth Crown Court, Stan was sentenced to four years for robbery and actual bodily harm. The youth, now 16, had already been handed 44 months in detention last November for racially aggravated offences and robbery. His sentence was increased after the court considered the racist abuse hurled during the attack.
Prosecutor Condemns ‘Shocking and Violent’ Crime
“This was a shocking and violent robbery in the middle of central London on a Saturday night. It left one victim unconscious and the other with a badly broken nose needing facial reconstructive surgery back home in South Korea. Vile racist slurs were also thrown at the victims,” said CPS prosecutor Claire Holder.
“These individuals targeted their victims, they were organised in their approach and they had every intention of using violence and threatening behaviour to carry out a robbery. The prosecution case included strong CCTV evidence that allowed the attackers to be tracked and identified.”
“The court heard today about the impact of this senseless attack on these men. They still fear for their safety and are traumatised. We hope these convictions and the sentences passed, provide them with some comfort at this time, while also sending out a strong message of deterrence to perpetrators of such crimes.”
