Sikh lawyer's turban was 'kicked off his head as he was beaten to the ground in a racist attack in City of London'

Rashvinder Panesar and his wife were on way home from London meeting



Old Bailey hears they were set upon outside St Paul's Cathedral last April



Aravinth Kandasamy and Luxmanan Mahendran allegedly attacked the pair

They shouted 'let's kick his turban off' and 'kick it away', it is alleged

Kandasamy and Mahendran deny two co unts of racially aggravated assault

occasioning actual bodily harm

Mahendran also denies assault by beating



A Sikh lawyer’s turban was kicked off his head as he was beaten to the ground in a racist attack outside St Paul’s Cathedral, a court has heard.

Rashvinder Panesar and his wife Sundeep were making their way home from a meeting in the City of London when they were set upon, the Old Bailey heard.

Aravinth Kandasamy, 26, and Luxmanan Mahendran, 27, allegedly shouted 'let’s kick his turban off' and 'kick it away' as they kicked and punched Mr Panesar in April last year.

Aravinth Kandasamy (left) and Luxmanan Mahendran (right) have been accused of kicking a turban off a Sikh lawyer's head as he was beaten to the ground in a racist attack, a court heard

When Mrs Panesar, also a lawyer, tried to intervene and retrieve her husband’s red turban, she was grabbed and almost knocked to the ground by Mahendran, it is alleged.

The court heard Mr Panesar suffered a fractured nose, a chipped tooth, injured his knee and had both his contact lenses knocked out in the alleged attack, which took place in Carter Lane, at around 10.45pm on 26 April 2013.



Kandasamy, of Ilford, Essex, and Mahendran, of Arnos Grove, north London, deny two counts of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Mahendran also denies assault by beating.

Rashvinder Panesar (pictured) and his wife Sundeep were making their way home from a meeting in the City of London when they were set upon, the Old Bailey heard

Prosecutor Louis French said: ‘Mr and Mrs Panesar are Sikhs and in the custom that Sikhs have Mr Panesar was wearing a turban, quite a colourful one that night, it was red.'

He said the couple had been to a meeting of the Society of Asian Lawyers.



He said: ‘It was about 10.30pm when they left the bar, walking together along Carter Lane crossing a pavement heading towards the cathedral.

‘They went to the roadside and stood hoping to hail down a black cab.

‘The couple noticed three men straight ahead of them, one of those men made an offensive remark “tuck me in b****”.

‘One of the group said “f*** you we are going to put you to sleep, we’re going to tuck you in”.

‘The two other men joined in these remarks which were being shouted.

‘Another said: "F*** you, don’t you know who we are?"'

Mr French said it turned aggressive and the men 'seemed to be encouraging each other'.

He said: ‘These three men closed in on Mr Panesar and the verbal abuse continued, Mrs Panesar was called a b****.’

Mr Panesar was pushed to the ground and then set upon by the gang, the jury was told.

‘They then started to quite seriously attack him by punching and kicking him,’ said Mr French.

‘He was desperately stood there out-numbered and trying to fend them off.

‘But in the course of this violent attack he was brought down to the ground where he was kicked and punched to his face, body and his back.

‘One of the men shouted “let’s kick his turban off” and that’s precisely what was done.

‘Mr Panesar’s turban was removed by kicking and another man shouted “kick it away”.

‘Mrs Panesar ran over and went to try and retrieve it but as she did so she was grabbed and almost knocked to the ground.

‘The person who did that was Mahendran.’

Both defendants claim that their alleged victim was aggressive towards them first, the court heard.

The trial continues.