Polish man's assault not being investigated by Met as hate crime

Kamil Sobala was taken to St Thomas' Hospital by members of the public

The assault of a Polish man outside Victoria Coach Station is not being treated as a hate crime, the Met Police has confirmed.

Kamil Sobala had just arrived in central London from Bath, when he said he approached two men for directions to a Tube station on Saturday evening.

The 31-year-old says he was beaten up on Elizabeth Street by a man in a grey suit because of his nationality.

He was taken to hospital by members of the public after police did not attend.

Mr Sobala suffered cuts and bruises to his face, as well as a head injury, following the attack which the Met confirmed they were investigating as a grievous bodily harm (GBH) offence.

"I only asked them for directions and if they knew for a place to charge my phone," he said.

'So much pain'

"I am in so much pain, they just kept punching me. My head hurts."

The Met Police said officers did not attend because the suspects had left Elizabeth Street.

However, the force said officers had since spoken to Mr Sobala and other witnesses as part of an investigation into the attack.

A spokesman added: "An investigation into the circumstances and to identify the person responsible for the attack is ongoing by detectives from Central West CID."

The Met confirmed there had been no arrests but that the force was aware of videos and images on social media appearing to show the men alleged to have been involved.

A spokesman for the mayor of London said: "The mayor is clear that hatred and violence have no place in our city and the perpetrators of this attack must be found and brought to justice.

"We know that this form of violence has a devastating and long-lasting impact on our communities and Sadiq encourages anyone with information about this incident to call the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously."

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