Xavier Marecheau guilty of assaulting a City of London bus driver

An 18 year-old man has been sentenced after an incident in which he committed criminal damage to a bus and assaulted the bus driver in Brent.

Xavier Marecheau from Ridley Road, Brent, pleaded guilty to common assault and criminal damage at Brent Magistrates’ Court on 2 July 2010. He was ordered to pay £50 compensation to the victim and carry out 40 hours of unpaid work.

The incident took place on 10 February 2010 when Marecheau tried to board a Route 266 bus with his large crossbreed dog, on Acton High Street. The bus driver asked Marecheau for his fare but he became abusive, pulled off the assault screen and punched the driver in the face before leaving the scene. The bus driver was taken to hospital and treated for swelling to her forehead and was off work for eight weeks as a result of the assault.

The Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) Safer Transport Command, which is funded by Transport for London (TfL) undertook the investigation through the joint MPS/TfL Workplace Violence Unit (WVU), who monitor and investigate incidents of violence involving London bus staff.

CCTV images of the suspect were obtained from the bus and circulated throughout the MPS. A police officer recognised the suspect on account of his dog, as he had stopped him on a previous occasion, and a name was put forward.

On 14 April officers from the WVU attended the suspect’s address and identified him from the CCTV. Also present was the suspect’s dog. A search was conducted on the address and a dog harness matching that worn by the dog in the CCTV images was found and seized.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of Actual Bodily Harm and affray and during interview he fully admitted the offence. On the 27 May 2010 the suspect was charged with common assault and criminal damage.

Chief Superintendent Joe Royle Safer Transport Command said:

"This was a completely senseless attack, causing injury and considerable damage. Thanks to the use of CCTV and a thorough investigation, the joint MPS/TfL Workplace Violence Unit was able to identify and Marecheau, leading to his conviction.

"The Joint MPS/TfL Workplace Violence Unit is dedicated to investigating all assaults on frontline bus staff; we will continue to work together with TfL and bus companies to catch those who commit acts of violence."

Siwan Hayward, Deputy Director for Community Safety, Enforcement and Policing at TfL, said:

"This was a nasty attack on someone who was simply doing their job. Our bus staff have a right to work without the fear of abuse or violence, which is why we will always work with the Safer Transport Command to identify and bring culprits to justice, pushing for the strongest possible penalties."