A city executive was attacked in the female toilets of a restaurant and had clumps of her hair ripped out after mimicking the conversation of a woman in the nextdoor cubicle in a high voice, a court has heard.
Marzena Grabiec, 30, had allegedly been repeating parts of a fellow diner’s phone call in a mocking tone, at Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais in the heart of the Square Mile on November 7.
Yasmin Behal, 20, of Croydon, London, pleaded guilty to common assault against the account executive, who is employed by Pure Storage.
Her friend, 22 year-old Lia Elkan, of Stockbury, Sittingbourne, denied assault by beating and was found not guilty by City of London magistrates after telling a court she had been trying to break up the fight.
‘I heard banging on the cubicle door and when I opened the door I was attacked,’ Ms Grabiec told the trial. ‘Two people were in front of the cubicle door.
‘I was pulled down by my hair by both of them, very low to the floor and I am one hundred percent sure it was both of them pulling from both sides.’
She admitted moments earlier repeating words of the telephone conversation Miss Elkan – who was in the next cubicle – was having with Behal, who was upstairs in the restaurant.
‘The lady mimicked in a squeaky voice a few things Yasmin said to me on the phone,’ Miss Elkan told the trial. ‘She did it twice again, mimicking in a high voice.’
Marzena Grabiec (pictured), 30, had allegedly been repeating parts of a fellow diner’s phone call in a mocking tone, but was then assaulted by Yasmin Behal, 20
Lia Elkan, 22, was found not guilty by a court after telling magistrates she had been attempting to break up the fight
Ms Grabiec admitted repeating some words of the phone conversation, but stressed she had no intention of poking fun or mocking her cubicle neighbour, who she said had told her: ‘Don’t mug me off.’
Describing the 10.00pm assault she continued: ‘I had no opportunity to get out and could feel both of their hands on me.
‘I told them: “Let me go,” but that didn’t work and one of them said: “Take her, take her,” and they pulled even more aggressively.
‘I felt a kick in my ankle and started screaming at the top of my lungs so somebody would hear me. I remembered there was a security guard outside and in five to ten seconds he opened the door and they let go.
‘Out in the corridor one of them came very quickly at me and I got slapped.
‘My hair was everywhere and there was pain in my scalp for the next forty-eight hours.’
When cross-examined Ms Grabiec stressed: ‘I did not mimic anyone, but I did repeat the last sentence, but did not want the person next to me to think it was insulting.’
During her evidence she failed to specifically identify Miss Elkan as somebody who deliberately grabbed her hair.
The incident took place at Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais in the heart of the Square Mile on November 7
Police were called and one officer described Miss Elkan as ‘very intoxicated, slurring her words and unsteady on her feet’ and she was arrested and handcuffed.
When questioned by officers she said she tried to break-up the fight between her friend and Ms Grabiec and did not assault the complainant.
She admitted consuming four glasses of wine that evening, but denied ever saying the words: ‘Don’t mug me off.’
Miss Elkan told the trial her friend Behal came down to the toilet and they both gave Ms Grabiec a ‘funny look’ when she emerged from the cubicle.
‘I was brushing my hair, Yasmin was doing her lip gloss and then the woman did the voice again for a fourth time and Yasmin and her got into an altercation.
‘They were having a bit of an argument and the lady was saying: “I’m only joking,” and she kind of pushed Yasmin and Yasmin at that point did slap her and they both went for each other.
‘The lady got in Yasmin’s face and they each pulled each other’s hair and I pulled Yasmin back again and when the security guard opened the door that lady left.
‘I was trying to apologise on Yasmin’s behalf. I did not pull her hair.’
Behal was fined £200, with £85 costs and was ordered to pay £50 compensation to Ms Grabiec, plus an £80 victim surcharge.
