A burglar who assaulted three Emirati women with a hammer during an attack in a hotel room in London last week withdrew around US $5000 in cash using one of the victim’s bank cards, it has been reported.
The three Emirati sisters were visiting London, along with three children aged between 7-12 years, when they were attacked by an assailant with a hammer. The incident took place in their room on the seventh floor of the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch in the early hours of April 6 when the victims interrupted a burglar who had gained access to their unlocked room.
Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National reported the burglar also stole around $1,633 worth of goods from the victims’ hotel room during the assault.
A spokesperson for London’s New Scotland Yard said they could not confirm the details in the report as the case is still under investigation.
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At the weekend, a man appeared in court on charges related to the attack and will face trial later this week. Philip Spence, 32, was charged with three counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated burglary.
Spence, of no fixed address, appeared in custody with Thomas Efremi, 56, of Upper Handa Walk, Islington, who was charged with handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation and James Moss, 33, of Hanley Road, north London, who was charged with handling stolen goods.
Carly Baker, 31, also of Hanley Road, was charged with handling stolen goods and will appear at the same court on Tuesday. A 34-year-old man, who was also arrested over the attack, has been bailed to return in May.
On Sunday it was confirmed the Court of First Instance in Hammersmith, London, in a summary trial, has ordered the detaining of the suspects in the case and referred them to trial before the criminal court next Thursday, April 17.
The WAM news agency also confirmed Abu Dhabi Police had sent a delegation to London to assist its British counterparts in the investigation into the attack and UAE officers were present during the summary trial.
“HH Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, has dispatched a team from Abu Dhabi Police, which provided psychological support to the victims, and ordered coordination with the British police on arresting the suspects and bringing them to justice as soon as possible," UAE Ambassador to the UK Abdul Rehman Ghanem Al Mutaiwei, said in a statement published by WAM.
"As part of the attention the wise leadership gives to nationals both in the UAE and overseas, the embassy has promptly moved to action on orders from HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, to provide all it takes to the family and its members who are in the British capital, to help them and provide a safe residence for them in London until the investigation into the case is over," the statement added.
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