Spanish thug who killed 67-year-old man by punching him to the ground in petty row over parking and then asked his old boss for money so he could flee the country is jailed for five years
- Abdelaziz Maaroufi, 26, repeatedly shoved Peter Marecheau, 67, in London
- Maaroufi punched Mr Maracheau to the ground leaving him with grave injuries
A thug who killed a pensioner when he punched him to the ground in a petty parking row has been jailed for five and a half years.
Spaniard Abdelaziz Maaroufi, 26, repeatedly shoved 67-year-old Peter Marecheau as he backed away on the Abbey Industrial Estate in Alperton, northwest London on September 9, 2022.
A convention on the estate was that if anyone wanted a car moved, they would beep their horn. The row erupted as Mr Marecheau parked his car outside a unit, leaving its owner having to beep his horn three times before he emerged to move it.
The spat between Mr Marecheau and the owner was escalated by Maaroufi, who worked at the unit in question. He punched Mr Maracheau, known as ‘Frankie’, in the jaw, sending him to the ground and leaving him with a devastating head injury.
Mr Marecheau died in hospital three days later. A post-mortem concluded he had died as a result of a blunt force head injury.
The killer, who had been in the UK for less than a year, went to his old boss and asked for money so he could leave the country.
Maaroufi was arrested on suspicion of murder. He denied and was cleared of the charge but was convicted of manslaughter by a jury at Harrow Crown Court in July.
Spaniard Abdelaziz Maaroufi, 26, repeatedly shoved 67-year-old Peter Marecheau as he backed away on the Abbey Industrial Estate in Alperton, northwest London on September 9, 2022
Peter Marecheau, pictured, suffered grave head injuries after he was punched to the ground on September 9, 2022. Maaroufi had denied and was cleared of murder however, he was convicted of manslaughter at Harrow Crown Court
Prosecutor Joel Smith earlier said: ‘The deceased would often park his green Peugeot outside another unit on the industrial estate, and the owner would beep his horn if he needed him to move.
‘The defendant was working for this neighbouring business. On the day in question, the owner had to beep his horn three times.
‘The defendant then confronted Mr Marecheau and there was an altercation.’
Maaroufi pushed Mr Marecheau four times while others tried to diffuse the situation, the court heard.
‘The victim was restrained by others, and the defendant punched him once in the jaw causing him to fall to the floor.’
Mr Marecheau was backing away when Maaroufi punched him causing a significant head injury, the court heard.
Mr Smith said the CCTV clearly showed the victim posed no risk to Maaroufi at the time of the punch.
Maaroufi, of Alperton, denied and was cleared of murder but was convicted of manslaughter.
He was jailed for five and a half years at Croydon Crown Court.
Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command led the investigation and said: ‘This sentencing brings to a conclusion a tragic case – Maaroufi has never explained why he decided to involve himself in this incident and why he resorted to this extreme level of violence.
‘Peter’s family have not had all the answers that we hoped to get for them but I hope they can take some solace in the fact that Maaroufi has been convicted and jailed for his actions.’
Detective Inspector Louise Caveen of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command said: ‘We don’t know what made Maaroufi involve himself in the argument or why he resorted to extreme violence.
‘Violence is never the right option, no matter what the disagreement, and anyone who allows their temper free reign in this way risks finding themselves in the same position as the defendant.
‘My thoughts are very much with Peter’s family today. I hope that they can find a small measure of solace in knowing that Abdelaziz Maaroufi will face the consequences of his actions.’
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