Criminal Justice System
For several days the identity of the third man who took part in a vicious attack on Paul Kohler was unknown, I imagine because the two Polish who men arrested at the scene were under no obligation to co-operate and name their accomplice - even though it stands to reason that they must have known his identity.
And that's a glaring defect in the law if you ask me, the right of people to remain silent when it's clear that they know something about a crime which they were either involved in or witnessed personally.
It's the kind of legal loophole used by people who act in a gang or collective criminal enterprise, but if they are caught they deny any knowledge of each other or who did what to whom, if anything, blaming the outcome on someone else - or even the mystery man who escaped from the scene of the crime.
So I would toughen up the law in this area if I had the ability to do so, by changing the law if necessary to make it easier to convict people who engage in a collective criminal enterprise and I would also hold those convicted responsible if they refuse to cooperate in naming and identifying their criminal friends.
‘It took my eye out’: academic speaks of attack that half-blinded him
By Victoria Richards - The Times
A university law lecturer who was left with “life-changing injuries” after being savagely beaten by a group of burglars has spoken of the moment he believed he had lost an eye.
Paul Kohler, 55, said that the first punch he felt in the hall of his home in Wimbledon, south London, from the gang of four masked men “took my eye out”.
One of the men held down Mr Kohler’s wife, Samantha MacArthur, while three others carried out the beating. Two men have been charged with aggravated burglary and grievous bodily harm, and CCTV images have been released today of a third man fleeing the scene after the attack.
“I thought I had lost the eye at that stage because it stopped functioning,” Mr Kohler said. “But I just kept thinking of my wife and daughter and her boyfriend upstairs.
“They got me on the floor but I managed to stand up at one stage and trade blows with them. I got a few blows in, but these were thumps like I never had in my life – they could really punch.”
Mr Kohler, who is head of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, is still in hospital. He spent two days on the operating table while surgeons rebuilt his eye and forehead, and police have described his injuries as “life-changing”.
“I felt quite traumatised by it, but I feel a lot stronger today,” Mr Kohler said. “My sight straight ahead is now OK, but the problem is turning the eye because there’s damage to the socket. They are doing an operation once the swelling has gone down.”
Police are investigating whether there is any link to the Cellar Door cabaret and burlesque bar, which Mr Kohler owns, in central London. However, he told the Evening Standard that he believed it was a case of mistaken identity.
“I was thinking that they had the wrong house,” he said. “English was not their first language, but they were using the definite article, talking about ‘the money’, like there was a particular stash, but there was no money to give them.
“I’ve got a pretty graphic memory of it all. I never lost consciousness and eight minutes can last a long time.”
Mr Kohler had been playing a board game with his wife, his daughter Eloise and her boyfriend when the four men arrived at about 10pm. Ms MacArthur was pinned down on the landing, while Eloise locked herself in a bedroom and called 999. The men demanded money and ransacked the house as they searched for valuables.
Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 23, both from Poland, appeared before Wimbledon magistrates’ court on Wednesday to face charges. Both men were remanded in custody.
Police have released the CCTV footage in the hope of tracking down the remaining two men, who fled in the direction of Wimbledon town centre after the attack. Both are thought to be between 20 and 30, and of eastern European origin. It is believed that a silver Volkswagen cabriolet was used during the incident.
“This new piece of CCTV is crucial in the identification of one of the suspects,” said detective inspector Dan O’Sullivan.
“It is my firm belief that this man and his associate would have been stained with blood spatter from the violent attack inside the house.
“Both were also wearing white surgical gloves when they fled,” he added.
“While they attempted a quick exit, I’m sure members of the public would have seen them.”
‘It took my eye out’: academic speaks of attack that half-blinded him
By Victoria Richards - The Times
A university law lecturer who was left with “life-changing injuries” after being savagely beaten by a group of burglars has spoken of the moment he believed he had lost an eye.
Paul Kohler, 55, said that the first punch he felt in the hall of his home in Wimbledon, south London, from the gang of four masked men “took my eye out”.
One of the men held down Mr Kohler’s wife, Samantha MacArthur, while three others carried out the beating. Two men have been charged with aggravated burglary and grievous bodily harm, and CCTV images have been released today of a third man fleeing the scene after the attack.
“I thought I had lost the eye at that stage because it stopped functioning,” Mr Kohler said. “But I just kept thinking of my wife and daughter and her boyfriend upstairs.
“They got me on the floor but I managed to stand up at one stage and trade blows with them. I got a few blows in, but these were thumps like I never had in my life – they could really punch.”
Mr Kohler, who is head of law at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, is still in hospital. He spent two days on the operating table while surgeons rebuilt his eye and forehead, and police have described his injuries as “life-changing”.
“I felt quite traumatised by it, but I feel a lot stronger today,” Mr Kohler said. “My sight straight ahead is now OK, but the problem is turning the eye because there’s damage to the socket. They are doing an operation once the swelling has gone down.”
Police are investigating whether there is any link to the Cellar Door cabaret and burlesque bar, which Mr Kohler owns, in central London. However, he told the Evening Standard that he believed it was a case of mistaken identity.
“I was thinking that they had the wrong house,” he said. “English was not their first language, but they were using the definite article, talking about ‘the money’, like there was a particular stash, but there was no money to give them.
“I’ve got a pretty graphic memory of it all. I never lost consciousness and eight minutes can last a long time.”
Mr Kohler had been playing a board game with his wife, his daughter Eloise and her boyfriend when the four men arrived at about 10pm. Ms MacArthur was pinned down on the landing, while Eloise locked herself in a bedroom and called 999. The men demanded money and ransacked the house as they searched for valuables.
Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 23, both from Poland, appeared before Wimbledon magistrates’ court on Wednesday to face charges. Both men were remanded in custody.
Police have released the CCTV footage in the hope of tracking down the remaining two men, who fled in the direction of Wimbledon town centre after the attack. Both are thought to be between 20 and 30, and of eastern European origin. It is believed that a silver Volkswagen cabriolet was used during the incident.
“This new piece of CCTV is crucial in the identification of one of the suspects,” said detective inspector Dan O’Sullivan.
“It is my firm belief that this man and his associate would have been stained with blood spatter from the violent attack inside the house.
“Both were also wearing white surgical gloves when they fled,” he added.
“While they attempted a quick exit, I’m sure members of the public would have seen them.”
