A Zimbabwean man was attacked with a hammer and a hockey stick in the UK following a dispute with his former landlord over a collection o...
A Zimbabwean man was attacked with a hammer and a hockey
stick in the UK following a dispute with his former landlord over a collection
of trainers.
Anthony Munatswa was attacked by an ex magistrate and his son
after he went to their Norfolk estate, the jury was told.
He had gone to collect shoes and gym equipment Mr Nigel
Stringer Snr, 68, had stored for him, and had forewarned police, Ipswich Crown
Court heard.
Nigel and Rowan Stringer deny racially aggravated assault
and three other charges.
Trainer collector Mr
Munatswa went to the 11-acre property in Morningthorpe on 14 January 2018 to
pick up 50 boxes of shoes and suitcases of clothes his former landlord had
stored for him.
Christopher Paxton QC, prosecuting, said that two weeks
before the alleged incident a county court judge had ordered Nigel Stringer to
make Mr Munatswa's belongings available for collection within 14 days and had
ordered Mr Munatswa to pay Stringer £820.
Mr Munatswa had allegedly tried without success to arrange
to collect his belongings and on January 14 he went to Mr Stringer's with three
friends in three cars to collect his possessions.
On the way Mr Munatswa called the police to inform them of
what he was doing and had climbed over a gate and walked towards the Stringer
house when he was allegedly confronted and attacked by Nigel Stringer and his
son with a hammer and hockey stick.
Mr Stringer Snr said in interview it was "absolutely
obvious" his former tenant was "there to beat me up" with his
friends.
Mr Paxton said the defence was likely to focus on the
threat Mr Munatswa and his friends posed to the family.
"Is it likely Mr Munatswa would have called police if
this had been his or his friends' intention?" he said.
The trial continues.
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