Polish immigrant, 31, ‘beaten unconscious moments after arriving in London’

A Polish migrant says he was viciously assaulted in a racially-motivated attack just minutes after arriving in London.

Kamil Sobala, who has lived in London before, had been travelling to the capital from Bath after flying in from Poland on his return to live in the UK.

After getting off his coach at Victoria station at around 7.50pm on 18 June, the 31-year-old said he asked a group of men for directions – who demanded to know where he was from.

Mr Sobala was then knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched in the face in the attack in Elizabeth Street, that was captured on a mobile phone from inside an adjacent pub.

Following the brutal assault, which left him unconscious, Mr Sobala said he is "shaken by the experience" and is so scared that he now fears even walking to the shops.

He explained: "I was going to meet some friends and went past the pub to ask directions because my phone was dead.

"I wanted to know where to go to charge my phone and where the underground station was. These guys, I asked them for some help to find the station.

“Instead of them just saying 'sorry I can't help you' they swore at me. Then they asked me where I was from and I said Poland.

"Then they started beating me. It's terrible. I'm just scared of going to the shop I can't sleep and I'm scared as well as full of pain. My back is painful and so is my eye, cheek and face.”

Mr Sobala claims the attack was “racist” as the men began to attack him after he told them he was from Poland.

He says he is struggling to sleep and drinking more since the incident, which is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

The force said that had not attended the incident but said that had spoken to both Mr Sobala and eyewitnesses to the attack.

When asked why they had not attended, the force added: “When police receive calls about incidents they are graded on a number of reasons, including whether there is an immediate threat to life.

“In this case, the caller stated the suspect had left the scene and an ambulance had been called, meaning it was not graded in the highest category for a response.”

No arrests have been made, while the investigation is ongoing to identify the person responsible for this attack, the force added.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD7204/18June.