Father carrying four-month-old daughter punched and kicked in race attack

By
Wil Longbottom

Last updated at 4:54 PM on 29th December 2011

A father has spoken of how he was attacked in a takeaway as he carried his four-month-old baby daughter in his arms.

Paul Kouatchou, 49, claims he was forced to hand his daughter Rubyjoe to staff at the Orient Fish Bar in Exeter to shield her from the blows after a group of three men attacked him.

The attack took place after one of the group knocked into Rubyjoe with his elbow and Mr Kouatchou asked them to apologise.

Defenceless: Pauk Kouatchou was attacked while carrying his four-month-old daughter Rubyjoe in a sling as he waited to pick up takeway food in Exeter

Defenceless: Pauk Kouatchou was attacked while carrying his four-month-old daughter Rubyjoe in a sling as he waited to pick up takeway food in Exeter

He was initially forced to defend himself while carrying the little baby in a sling across his chest, before passing her to safety.

Mr Kouatchou, from Exeter, Devon, said: ‘I told him, don’t you realise you hit my baby? I asked him to say sorry.

‘I then went to the other side of the counter to wait for my food and after about ten minutes two of them left and one came over and just started punching me.

‘I said what are you doing? I have my baby. But he just kept punching me.

‘He would not stop so I cried out in the restaurant for someone to take hold of my baby. There were three other guys in the restaurant but none of them were willing to do it.’

Assault: Mr Kouatchou had gone into Orient Fish Bar in the town when one of a group of three men knocked into his daughter with his elbow

Assault: Mr Kouatchou had gone into Orient Fish Bar in the town when one of a group of three men knocked into his daughter with his elbow

After passing Rubyjoe to safety, he was then able to restrain the offender on a chair while he waited for the police to arrive.

But the man fled when Mr Kouatchou was forced to let him go because his daughter became distressed.

The attack, at around 8.30pm on December 10, lasted around 15 minutes.

Mr Kouatchou added: ‘Maybe he didn’t like me, as a black man, having the courage to ask him to say sorry for his wrongdoing.

‘He didn’t make any racial comments but I do think there was an element of that. It was just the way he looked at me – like I was not even a human being.

‘I have never had any problems or issues before but this has made me think how can I bring my child up here when there are people like this man around?’

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed they were looking for a white male in his 40s, about 6ft tall, of large build, and with a shaven head.

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The comments below have been moderated in advance.

Does anyone actually realise how lucky they are to live in the UK?? So
Many people moaning about ‘the state of the country’ and ‘unfair treatment’… Compared to many other countries we have it SO good!! Not really related subject to the article but noticed how many moaners there were on
This post…

the fact u r all missing is… HE SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO ATTACK IN THE FIRST PLACE… the comments on here disgust me… as for him protecting his child… I would probably be facing a murder charge if that had happend to me.

No matter what’s been said or done, no real man would physically attack someone who is holding or ‘wearing’ an innocent baby. The fact this guy punched the man whilst he was holding the baby, is good enough for me to determine that Mr Kouatchou was in the right, I don’t need the rest of the details. Hope the wannabe thug that punched Mr Kouatchou is found and made to pay for being such a coward.

There’s a lot of this stuff coming the other way too, if fact more and maybe people have had enough…. red arrow if you want but it’s the truth.

im not being funny but if a white person attacts a black person its automatically called a racist attack even if no racist comments were made. But if a black person attacks a white person there’s no way in the world the word racist would be involved. When them black girls attacked that white girl calling her racist names it didnt even make front page. please tell me why we let this happen

I am sure I will be red arrowed but the story does not seem to hold the usual number of facts. There seem to be a lot of grey areas in this reporting which will impacrt on posted comments.

It is bad enough when people start trouble for no reason, but to do it when there is a baby involved is shocking. I can understand some peoples fear at getting involved for fear of being attacked or stabbed, but when a child is present surely any decent person would step forward to hold that child get her to safety. I know I would of… before someone says “you don’t know what you would do” I’d like to point out that I have intervened on a few disputes in my time even got punched for it, there is no way I would not help out a child.
There is a real lack of compassion in our society, but we can thank the government for a lot of that.. If they dished out proper sentences to violent criminals, there would be less on our streets less attacks on do gooders like me who are compelled to help!!
I hope these thugs are caught serve time for this, this man his daughter can get some justice. Sorry for talking about ‘me’, but I need to make the point!

Look, 6 years ago 5 black guys attacked me and my friend (we are both white woman)…they tried to snatch our bags, and succeed with my friend’s bag..WE called police, they never found bag and these monsters..I never thought that it was racial attack, probably IT was.. We cant blame race all the time!
Glad that this guy and his beautiful daughter is fine!

Ahhh the famous thugs way of starting a fight bumping into somebody and then kicking off, don’t think it was a racist attack just idiots looking for trouble. Fighting doesn’t solve anything just makes people angry and causes an eye for an eye situations

Paul – you were right to ask the thug to apologize – but naiive enough to believe he would. These days only a show of force will convince these feral thugs of the error of their ways.

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