Suspended sentence for "vicious assault" at Elephant & Castle tube

24-year-old Mantas Apoukas from Chingford appeared at Blackfriars Crown Court on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to causing actual bodily harm.

He was sentenced to eight months in prison suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work, to pay £1,000 compensation and £500 prosecution costs.

The incident happened at around 10.30pm one night last September at Elephant & Castle Underground Station.

Apoukas had been drinking and was walking along the Northern line platform approaching various women.

He then approached the 29-year-old victim who was sitting with his wife.

Apoukas made some remarks to the victim about the woman in a foreign language and attempted to touch her.

The victim, fearing for his wife's safety, stood up, put his arm out and told Apoukas to leave her alone.

Apoukas stepped towards the victim and said he could kill him in a minute before pointing at the man's face.

He then punched the victim causing his nose to bleed heavily.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Stacey Hunt from the British Transport Police said: "This was a vicious assault on a man who was protecting his wife from Mantas Apoukas' unacceptable behaviour.

"The victim was left with a fracture which required him to wear a plaster cast on his face for a week and he still has trouble breathing through his nose.

"Incidents such as this are fortunately very rare on the London Underground network and the chances of becoming a victim are very slim, but when they do happen, BTP takes them very seriously and will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice."