Hackney man punched love rival in the head at Bank station

A man punched his love rival in the head so many times he fell down a flight of stairs at an underground station.

Barbar Popal, 20, of City Road, Hackney happened to spot his ex-girlfriend with another man as they were walking through Bank station just after 11pm on March 2.

According to British Transport Police, Popal approached the couple and became “increasingly aggressive”, punching the man several times in the head, before he fell down the stairs and landed on his face.

Popal continued to strike the victim before walking away from the scene after a member of the public intervened. The man was left with a scar above his eye.

Popal pleaded guilty to common assault during a Newton Hearing and was sentenced to a 12 months community order with 40 hours of unpaid work at London Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. He was ordered to pay £100 costs and £100 compensation.

Investigating officer DS Krishan Appannah, said the assault was “violent and nasty”, and could have had more serious consequences”.

“Not only did he push his victim down the stairs, he then continued to attack him when he was lying injured on the floor.

“He attacked his victim because he saw him with his ex-girlfriend – it was totally random and entirely unjustified,” he added.