A tube fair-dodger who brutally attacked a man for blocking his way through a barrier has been jailed for over three years.
Rikki Holmes has been sentenced to three years and five months in prison after a violent attack on a passenger.
The 33-year-old attempted to barge through the barrier without paying, before being grabbed by a member of the public.
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The man grabbed his collar, causing Holmes to stumble, before he turned around and punched the victim in the face.
The man fell backwards, hitting his head off the station floor and then was left lying motionless, as reported by Need To Know.
Holmes then approached the victim before punching and kicking him in the face.
The vile attack left the man with a bleed on the brain, a fractured jaw, a broken nose, a fractured rib and two collapsed lungs.
The shocking attack took place at 12:50am on 20 August, 2023, at London Bridge station.
Holmes, from South Norwood, Croydon, was identified and arrested following a media appeal.
He was handed three years and five months in prison on 29 January, at Inner London Crown Court.
Holmes was found guilty of GBH, two counts of possession of an offensive weapon and possession of a Class B drug, cannabis, at a previous hearing.
Christopher Pretty, BTP DC and investigating officer on the case, said: “What started out as a minor dispute over Holmes’s pushing behind the victim through the ticket barrier then descended into serious violence that left the victim requiring a lengthy stay in hospital.
“The psychological impact on him will also remain for a very long time.
“I’m glad to see that the sentence handed down reflects the gravity of the offence.
“Holmes continued his attack even when the victim was unconscious on the ground and posed no threat to him at all.
“Holmes didn’t co-operate at all during police interviews, but the weight of the evidence we gathered against him, combined with our witness and mobile phone enquiries, meant that we were able to prove his guilt.
“It’s a great reflection of the investigative team’s work, and will hopefully go some small way to helping the victim put this traumatic episode behind him.”
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