The 38-year-old – who said he ‘deserved the medal’ when questioned – said he had been attacked in a ‘revenge bid’. (Picture: Doug Seeburg/ The Sun/ News Licensing)

A London Marathon scammer has been beaten up after news that he picked up a runner’s fallen race number and claimed his medal went viral.

Stanley Skupien who sleeps rough at Heathrow Airport, appeared in court yesterday with a leg brace on his right foot.

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The 38-year-old – who said he ‘deserved the medal’ when questioned – said he had been attacked in a ‘revenge bid’.

He spoke yesterday after judges at Uxbridge Magistrates Court banned him from Heathrow after he was found sleeping in a multi-faith prayer room.

Speaking to The Sun about his beating, he said: ‘It was 10am on Monday and some young guys were kicking a ball around outside The Bell pub in Hounslow.

Stanley Skupien who sleeps rough at Heathrow Airport, appeared in court yesterday with a leg brace on his right foot. (Picture: Marathonfoto)

He claims the incident has just pushed him to ‘train harder’ to actually run the entire marathon next year ‘as a real competitor’. (Picture: Marathonfoto)

‘They recognised me as the man from the marathon and came after me in a swarm, breaking my ankle and hurting me elsewhere.

‘They maybe wanted to make sure I do not run again. They were racists calling me Polish so and so and a fake. I went to hospital and police were called, though I think no one was arrested.’

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He claims the incident has just pushed him to ‘train harder’ to actually run the entire marathon next year ‘as a real competitor’.

Runner Jake Halliday lost his race number after he hit 24 miles during the London Marathon, and despite only have a few more miles to go he was unable to finish without it.

Jake, 28, from Edinburgh, was disqualified after raising £48,000 for blood cancer charity Bloodwise.

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Stanley, however, said his ‘heart leaped’ when he saw the number.

He added that he had ‘no thoughts of the person whose number it was’.