Man jailed for violent assault that left victim needing brain surgery

A man who committed a violent and unprovoked assault which left the victim needing brain surgery, has been jailed, following an investigation by the City of London Police.

Thomas Ruggiero, 35, of Meadway, Market Deeping, Peterborough, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Monday 14 September 2020 at Southwark Crown Court, after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.

The attack took place on Thursday 6 February 2020 at 0545hrs on Bread Street, EC4. Ruggiero approached the victim, a man in his 60s who was out for an early morning walk, and punched and kicked him to the ground until he was unconscious. When the victim was on the floor, Ruggiero kicked him on the head two more times before fleeing the scene.

Police Constable Yusuf Meerza, from the City of London Police, said:

“This was a horrible and senseless attack on an innocent member of the public. It’s clear that Ruggiero is an extremely violent and nasty individual, so it was vital that we tracked him down in case he harmed anyone else.

“Thanks to the public coming forward with key information regarding his whereabouts, as well as valuable support from the security guards and British Transport Police officers at Charing Cross Station, Ruggiero was arrested and has rightly been brought to justice for his despicable actions.”


The victim’s injuries included bleeding to the brain, bloodshot eyes, swelling to his eye socket, multiple bruises on his face and bleeding from the ear.

In terms of treatment for his injuries, the man needed neurosurgery to prevent bleeding on the brain. He is slowly recovering from his injuries, but has stated that the attack has left him living in fear, he is anxious about going out, he has regular migraines and suffers from sleepless nights.

Detectives managed to map the route taken by Ruggiero after the attack on CCTV and discovered he had boarded the 0605hrs train at City Thameslink, heading towards Kings Cross St Pancras.

Ruggiero’s image was circulated on the force's social media accounts and website, which led to members of the public calling in and providing information that led to his eventual arrest in Charing Cross, on Wednesday 15 July 2020.