Two men and a woman who lured another man to a secluded part of Hampstead Heath before beating him to near death and stealing £200 have been jailed for a total of 25 years.
Last Wednesday, Hungarian nationals Laszlo Peternak, 24, Gyula Galyas, 29, and Henrietta Toth, 27, were all handed lengthy jail terms at Blackfriars Crown Court for the brutal attack on November 17.
On the day of the attack, the 25-year-old Pakistani-born victim met with Toth, his fiancée at the time, at Golders Green Tube station on the basis they were going to look at prospective living accommodation. She instructed him to bring a £200 deposit.
It transpired the pair had been due to marry at Camden Town Hall three days prior to the attack but immigration officials had doubts about the validity of the wedding and halted proceedings.
Toth, of Woodside Grove, Whetstone, admitted to the immigration officer that the marriage was a sham and said she was expecting to be paid £4,500.
She was joined by Peternak and Galyas, both of no fixed abode, when she met the victim on November 15 and together they headed towards the supposed property before the victim was set upon in Hampstead Heath by the male attackers.
They were seen by a witness taking it in turns to stamp on the victim’s head and beat him until he was unconscious. They then dragged him into some undergrowth and made away with £200 in cash and a rucksack belonging to the victim.
Toth was looking on during the assault and appeared to warn Galyas and Peternak as the witness approached.
The victim was in a life-threatening condition with serious head and facial injuries after the attack but made a full recovery following surgery.
He eventually returned to his parents’ home in Pakistan and gave evidence during the trial via video link.
Peternak was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for GBH and robbery in relation to the attack on November 15, while Galyas was sentenced to 12 years for the same charges. Toth was handed a five-year jail term for GBH.
Peternak and Galyas were also each given three-year jail sentences for separate robbery charges relating to an incident on November 7 in which they targeted a lone Hungarian woman in her home, tying her up and stealing cash and phones.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here