Teens admit Kingston town centre hammer attack

7:40am Wednesday 3rd December 2008

Two teens have admitted their part in a town centre brawl in which a 16-year-old being attacked with a hammer in broad daylight.

The trial of Daniel Kongo, 19, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, was due to start on Monday at Kingston Crown Court.

But after frantic legal wrangles, guilty pleas were entered yesterday on charges of unlawful wounding and affray.

Paul Wakerley, prosecuting, told the court the incident stemmed from an argument between two rival groups of youths in the Bentall Centre on Monday, September 1.

He said: “There was a verbal altercation between the two parties, there was staring and there was pushing.”

Mr Wakerley said CCTV footage then shows Kongo, of Fauconberg Road, Chiswick, and his 17-year-old co-defendant leaving the scene, but being followed through Kingston by the victim and his friend before the incident “escalated” in Eden Street.

Mr Wakerley said Kongo then armed himself and struck the 16-year-old victim in the face, breaking his nose and causing him to suffer a fit in the street.

Kongo allegedly told police when he was arrested: “Is that guy OK? I didn’t mean to hit him that hard.”

Mr Wakerley said Kongo may have felt threatened by being followed but that his actions were “excessive”.

A young mother, who had been shopping in Eden Street and contacted the Surrey Comet after the incident, said people started panicking when the fight broke out.

Kongo pleaded guilty to unlawful wounding and the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to affray on December 2.

They will be sentenced at a later date after probation reports are completed.