Bishop’s Stortford man Oliver Huckerby, 22, who glassed three London hotel staff jailed for seven years

A Bishop’s Stortford man who stabbed three hotel staff members in the face in a drink- and drug-fuelled rampage has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Builder Oliver Huckerby, 22, of Piggotts Way, admitted carrying out the attacks but claimed he had no memory of the orgy of violence.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH) and one of assaulting an emergency worker, after he poured a cup of water over a police officer in hospital after getting annoyed that he had not been discharged.

But jurors at Inner London Crown Court rejected his defence that he had not knowingly intended to cause anyone any harm and found him guilty in majority verdicts of the more serious charges of causing GBH with intent.

On Saturday 16 December 2023, Huckerby and his girlfriend checked into the Leonardo Royal St Paul’s hotel on Godliman Street. He said they shared two bottles of wine at dinner and he had two “little bumps” of cocaine – then woke up in hospital to the news of what he had done.

“I’m sat at the table and the next thing I know I’m in hospital. It’s jumped like that. I was lying down on the bed getting my hand checked out”, he told his trial.

Huckerby became aggressive after being denied access to the rooftop bar. A security officer, Daniel Lessie, asked him to leave. Huckerby smashed a wine glass in his face and then used the broken stem as a weapon.

A barman who stepped in to stop the attack was stabbed in the face, close to his eyes. The very deep wound has left the victim with a life-changing scar.

Huckerby’s third victim was Marcel Seaka, another security guard, who called police.

Various staff members and customers threw items at Huckerby to prevent further attacks. The violent thug was soaked in blood when he was arrested outside the hotel by City of London Police officers.

Mr Lessie said in his victim impact statement: “I have suffered with the trauma from that incident every day.

“When I saw the suspect again, I relived the moment he attacked me, to the point it was hard to control my emotions.

“It also impacted me that the suspect stated he couldn’t remember the incident at all, it was as if the only ones suffering from reliving that moment were the victims and witnesses.

“I have suffered with spates of depression post this incident, with friends contacting me and worrying about my wellbeing. I would be checked up on by my friends daily, some days twice a day, depending on how I presented.

“The time of the incident is a busy month for security staff, with lots of opportunity to earn extra income, and the incident prevented me from earning and caused me to lose half my salary whilst on sick leave.

“I was struggling for a period of six to nine months just to keep my head above water. I struggled to pay rent and other bills, causing me to run into debt.”

The assaults were captured on CCTV and were used to convict Huckerby of his crimes.

Det Con Connor Devine, at City of London Police, said: “This was a violent, unprovoked and sustained attack on security staff who were doing their job to protect customers and ensure their safety. Our thoughts are with the victims and the people who feared for their lives on the night.

“The nature of the assault carried out by Huckerby shows that he has a vicious and dangerous streak, and the best place for him is in a prison cell.”