A man has been charged with common assault following an incident in Plumstead High Street and will appear before magistrates next month.
Officers who were on patrol in the road were approached by members of the public at about 9am on Wednesday 1 October. Police were told that a child had been grabbed during the incident. No injuries were reported.
Selomon Dawit, 41, of Benares Road in Plumstead, was charged on 1 October with common assault. He is due to attend Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 4 November.
London Streets is not publishing any further detail about the child. The charge is an allegation, it has not been proved, and the case is now before the court. Nothing in this report should be read as implying guilt.
Charge and court date
The Metropolitan Police said its officers were already patrolling Plumstead High Street when the incident was brought to their attention that morning. The force has confirmed the date and time of the allegation, the charge that followed, and the court date that has been set.
Common assault is the legal charge recorded in this case. It is a single count, and it relates to the events alleged to have taken place in Plumstead High Street on 1 October. Dawit was charged on the same day.
His first court appearance is listed for Bromley Magistrates’ Court on 4 November. Bromley is one of the magistrates’ courts that deals with criminal cases from across south-east London, including matters sent there from the boroughs of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich.
What happens at a first magistrates’ court hearing
Almost every criminal case in England and Wales, however serious, begins in a magistrates’ court. That first, usually short hearing is mainly about confirming the defendant’s identity and address, putting the charge formally on the record, and deciding what happens next in the process.
Common assault is an offence that is normally dealt with by magistrates rather than by a judge and jury at the Crown Court. If a defendant indicates a not guilty plea, magistrates will usually set a timetable for the case, deal with matters such as what evidence the prosecution must share with the defence, and fix a trial date at the magistrates’ court.
If a defendant pleads guilty, the court can move towards sentence. Magistrates may sentence straight away or adjourn the case, sometimes so that the probation service can prepare a pre-sentence report about the defendant’s background and circumstances. The court also has to decide questions such as bail or reporting conditions in the period between hearings, depending on the facts of the individual case.
Until any plea is entered and any trial takes place, a charge remains untested. Defendants in criminal proceedings are presumed innocent unless and until the case against them is proved or a guilty plea is entered. London Streets will report the outcome of the hearing on 4 November when the case has been dealt with in open court.
How to report concerns to the police
Anyone who witnessed what happened in Plumstead High Street on the morning of 1 October, or who has information that could help officers, can speak to the Metropolitan Police directly. Non-emergency reports can be made by calling 101 or through the reporting pages on the Metropolitan Police website. In an emergency, or if a crime is taking place, people are always advised to call 999.
Information can also be passed to the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Crimestoppers does not ask for names or personal details, and calls to the charity are not traced.
Other recent cases in south-east London show how information from the public is used once an allegation has been made. Police continued house-to-house and CCTV work after a substance attack in Plumstead last month, while a separate investigation in Woolwich saw an arrest after a man was found injured on Herbert Road. In central London, detectives have also issued an appeal after an assault reported on a Southeastern train service from Charing Cross.
The road at the centre of the case
Plumstead High Street is the main road running through Plumstead in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, in south-east London. It is a residential and shopping street on the route between Woolwich and Welling, served by local buses and lined with homes, small shops and businesses.
The road is busy through much of the day, particularly during the morning, when people are travelling to work, to school and to the shops. Police patrols in town centres and on main shopping streets form part of the Metropolitan Police’s neighbourhood work in the borough.
London Streets will update this report after the hearing at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on 4 November, and will publish the court result once it is known. Anyone affected by the contents of this report can contact the police on the numbers above for advice and support.
