Thug 'tries cocaine', attacks hotel staff and cries in court

A thug who 'tried cocaine for the first time' at a posh London hotel before attacking bouncers with a wine glass cried as he was jailed. Oliver Huckerby, 22, from Hertfordshire, shared two bottles of wine and 'a couple of bumps' at the rooftop bar of the Royal Leonardo Hotel in the City of London the night after his nan died, but spiralled into a rage when he was refused entry to the bar.

The builder - described as 'immature' and 'petulant' by the judge - broke down in tears as he was sentenced to seven years at Inner London Crown Court on Thursday (March 6), following his conviction by the jury on three counts of GBH with intent. Huckerby had already admitted GBH without intent and assaulting an emergency worker ahead of the trial.

On December 16 2023, Huckerby wined and dined his girlfriend Brook Ayers at the hotel restaurant in Godliman Street, overlooking St Paul's Cathedral, drowning his sorrows after the death of his grandmother. The lovebirds were later joined by Ms Ayers' friend Jess and her boyfriend Lee, with the court hearing Huckerby then took cocaine in the hotel toilet while the group shared a third bottle of wine.

When the foursome got down to attempt entry to the bar, they were visibly drunk and security guard Daniel Lessie fibbed about reservations being full to avoid a conflict. But Huckerby refused to back down, raising his voice and becoming aggressive. When he raised a hand at a staff member, Mr Lessie gave him a countdown but Huckerby struck him with the wine glass before he got to zero.

Later a barman said Huckerby brought his hand down "with as much force as possible", smashing the glass over Mr Lessie's face before striking him a second time with the stem above his left eyebrow. When Mr Lessie noticed blood pouring down his face, he stepped away. The attack left him out of work for nine months, suffering 'stints of depression', 'mental fog', and incurring significant debt.

Huckerby then turned his ire to bartender Khadar Said, punching him in the face with the stem still in his hand causing a 6cm wound to his left eyebrow that went all the way to the bone of his skull. Since the attack, Mr Said had been unable to work for seven months, has been diagnosed with PTSD, and has been forced to start a career in IT.

Victim still struggles to eat and sleep

After attacking Mr Said, Huckerby entered the main bar area and continued lashing out with the broken glass, narrowly missing a customer but managing to strike security guard Marcel Seaka, who was already on the phone to police, leaving a 'bloody jagged wound'. Mr Seaka said he still struggles with eating and sleeping on his left side as glass remains embedded in his face.

One witness said the aggression was like nothing she had seen before, and it only stopped when hotel staff managed to surround Huckerby and launch objects at him - barricading him and distracting him from his anger.

Huckerby then fled the barricade and the hotel along with his girlfriend but was arrested by City of London Police in the street. Later in the hospital, after learning there would be a delay on his CT scan, he was rude to hospital staff and threw a cup of water on PC Ben McMillan, leading to another charge of assault.

At trial, Huckerby claimed he could not remember the attack and that his level of intoxication meant he could not have formed the intent, but this defence was rejected by the jury. This week prosecutor Andrew Herd said it was a "persistent assault on several different victims", while noting Huckerby had been "lunging at other members of the public".

'Two minutes of madness'

Defence counsel Paul Jackson said it was a "deeply depressing case", labelling Huckerby's outburst "two minutes of madness" and "entirely out of character". "Two minutes he can't even remember, but will affect the rest of his life," he added.

Mr Jackson asked the judge to consider Huckerby's positive good character - acting as a carer for his grandfather - and good behaviour while on curfew since the offences. The barrister submitted the stem of the wine glass was not "highly dangerous" in the legal sense, while claiming "scarring can fade" in relation to the permanent marks left on the victims.

Explaining what might have triggered the 'rampage', Mr Jackson said: "He took cocaine for the first time following a degree of peer pressure. He had no idea the impact it would have on him. He has vowed never to take cocaine again."

'You went on a rampage - lashing out'

Judge Vanessa Baraitser said there was substantial mitigation due to Huckerby's youth, but agreed the offence was aggravated by his intoxication and the fact staff were there to provide a public service. The judge also took into account character references from Huckerby's girlfriend, mother, employer, and neighbour.

"I appreciate your behaviour that night was wholly out of character. The reason you drank to excess and took drugs that night was because your grandmother died the night before. That night, no doubt fuelled by drink and drugs, you went on a rampage, breaking the glass in your hand on the face of Mr Lessie then lashing out at anyone who came within striking distance," she said.

Huckerby, of Piggotts Way in Bishop Stortford, was jailed for seven years for the attack on Mr Lessie, with concurrent sentences of three-and-a-half years for the two other attacks. He was given no separate penalty for assaulting the police officer by throwing water at him. He will serve two-thirds of his sentence, of which 197 days are already served under curfew.

Got a tip, a court date, or some gossip? Please email callum.cuddeford@reachplc.com or WhatsApp 07580255582.

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