Meeting attacker through restorative justice scheme ‘transformed’ my life: MP
Paul Kohler told the Commons his life was saved by two police officers after he was brutally attacked by four men in his own home in 2014.
A Liberal Democrat MP has said meeting his attacker “transformed” his life, as he called on the Prime Minister to place greater emphasis on restorative justice.
Paul Kohler told the Commons his life was saved by two police officers after he was brutally attacked by four men in his own home in 2014, before becoming an MP.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, the Wimbledon MP said: “I entered politics, active politics, after an attack on my home was misused by others to promote their anti-EU, anti-immigrant agenda.
“My life was saved by two brave police officers from Wimbledon police station. As a family, our lives were transformed by a restorative justice session organised by the charity Why Me, where we met one of our four attackers in prison.
“Will the Prime Minister meet with me to discuss how this Government can give restorative justice greater emphasis, and put victims at the centre of the criminal justice system, reduce recidivism and cut crime and costs?”
Sir Keir Starmer replied: “Can I extend my sympathy for what (Mr Kohler) experienced? It must have had a profound impact on him and of course his family.
“I too have seen the power of restorative justice, which does enable victims to receive answers, and perpetrators have to face the human cost of their crimes.
“Under the Victims’ Code, all adult victims must be told about restorative justice and how to access it. We can always do more and I’ll ensure that he gets the meeting he wants with the relevant minister.”
The MP received facial reconstruction surgery after he suffered a fractured eye socket, a fracture to his left jawbone, a broken nose and bruising.
Mr Kohler has previously said he believes the only reason he survived the beating was because officers were able to get to his home from the station within eight minutes of a 999 call made by his daughter.
Following the attack, the former university lecturer went on to campaign against the London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime’s decision to close more than half of London’s police stations.
In 2018, Mr Kohler lost a High Court challenge against the decision to close 37 of the 73 police stations across the capital, but won a ruling from two leading judges that a decision to close his local station in Wimbledon was unlawful and must be reconsidered.
