A shocking incident unfolded in the ladies’ restroom of a popular London restaurant, where a city executive was violently assaulted after allegedly mocking a woman’s phone call.
The court heard that Marzena Grabiec, 30, was attacked after she repeated parts of a fellow diner’s conversation in a high-pitched tone, leading to a physical altercation that left her with clumps of hair ripped out.
The Altercation at Comptoir Libanais
The incident took place on November 7 at the Lebanese restaurant Comptoir Libanais, located in the heart of London’s financial district.
Grabiec, an account executive at Pure Storage, was reportedly in the restroom when she began mimicking the phone conversation of a woman in the adjacent cubicle.
Yasmin Behal, 20, from Croydon, admitted to common assault against Grabiec and pleaded guilty to the charges.
However, Behal’s friend, 22-year-old Lia Elkan from Sittingbourne, denied assault by beating.
The City of London magistrates found Elkan not guilty after she claimed to have tried to intervene and break up the altercation.
A Violent Attack
Grabiec described the shocking moments that followed, saying, “I heard banging on the cubicle door, and when I opened it, I was attacked.”
She recalled two individuals pulling her down by her hair, dragging her forcefully to the floor.
“I am one hundred percent sure it was both of them pulling from both sides,” she said during her testimony.
Earlier in the evening, Grabiec had reportedly repeated parts of the phone conversation she overheard, which was being conducted by Elkan in the next cubicle.
Elkan had been speaking to Behal, who was situated upstairs in the restaurant.
According to Elkan, Grabiec mocked the conversation in a squeaky voice, repeating some of the phrases multiple times.
Grabiec admitted to repeating some words from the phone call but stressed that it wasn’t meant as a joke or mockery.
She clarified that her intention was not to insult her restroom neighbor, who had reportedly warned her not to “mug me off.”
The Aftermath of the Attack
The confrontation escalated, with Grabiec describing how she felt trapped as the two women continued to pull her hair. “I told them, ‘Let me go,’ but that didn’t work,” she said.
“One of them said, ‘Take her, take her,’ and they pulled even more aggressively.”
At this point, Grabiec screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear.
A nearby security guard responded quickly and opened the door to intervene.
However, the violence didn’t stop there. “Out in the corridor, one of them came quickly at me and slapped me,” Grabiec recalled.
“My hair was everywhere, and there was pain in my scalp for the next 48 hours.”
Elkan’s Testimony and Police Involvement
When questioned by police, Elkan, who was reportedly intoxicated, claimed that she was merely trying to break up the fight between Grabiec and Behal.
Elkan admitted to consuming four glasses of wine that evening but denied using the phrase “Don’t mug me off.”
She described how Grabiec had mocked her friend’s conversation one last time, which led to the argument between Behal and Grabiec.
According to Elkan, both women began pulling each other’s hair, and she intervened to separate them.
Police officers who responded to the scene described Elkan as “very intoxicated, slurring her words, and unsteady on her feet.” After her arrest, Elkan was handcuffed and denied assaulting Grabiec.
Legal Outcomes and Compensation
Behal was fined £200 for her role in the incident, ordered to pay £85 in costs, and £50 in compensation to Grabiec, along with an £80 victim surcharge.
Meanwhile, Elkan was cleared of assault charges after her defense claimed she had been trying to de-escalate the situation.
The incident has left a lasting impact on Grabiec, who continues to experience physical pain and emotional distress from the attack.