A Beckenham chef armed himself with bread and steak knives to attack a man then threatened that he would get his friends to kill him after the victim reported the attack to police. 

Arkadiusz Rachwal, also known as Arek, fell asleep after an evening of drinking at a friend’s flat in Beckenham on January 4. 

When his friend woke him in the morning Rachwal became irrationally angry, arming himself an eight-inch bread knife in one hand and a five-inch steak knife in the other as he attacked the victim. 

“You don’t know what I’m going to do,” 39-year-old Rachwal told his friend while waving the knives about. 

His friend then left the flat but Rachwal dragged him back inside, prosecutor Henriette Kaerger said. 

The terrified victim, who was screaming for help, sustained several cuts from the knives during the attack. 

“When he tried to get up the defendant pushed him down and held the eight-inch blade to his ribs, saying ‘I will put it in’”, Ms Kaerger said. 

Rachwal eventually calmed down then wiped the knives with a jumper, put them in a carrier bag and left them in a post box as he left the scene. 

Rachwal, of Primrose Road in Beckenham, was arrested and pleaded guilty to assault on February 5. 

He was released on bail with conditions not to contact the victim but on February 27 he turned up at the victim’s flat at 6am. 

While banging and kicking on the door, he told the victim: “If you don’t open the door I’m going to break it down. 

“If I go to prison it doesn’t matter, I have lots of Polish friends who I have given your address to. You should watch your back because they are going to kill you.” 

Police attended and Rachwal kicked a police officer during his arrest. 

Arkadiusz RachwalArkadiusz Rachwal (Image: Met Police)

Four years 

On May 29 Rachwal appeared at Woolwich Crown Court for sentencing for five offences – assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of possessing a bladed article, threatening to take revenge and assaulting an emergency worker. 

Defending Rachwal, barrister Harry Martin said his client moved to the UK and began working in kitchens, mainly in Chinatown. 

Mr Martin said Rachwal has issues with alcohol and was addicted to crack cocaine and heroin at the time of his offending. 

The hearing was briefly disrupted due to Rachwal’s behaviour towards the Polish interpreter. 

Judge Charlotte Welsh described Rachwal as “extremely rude” and warned that if he continued with his behaviour towards the interpreter he would be in contempt of court. 

The hearing continued after Rachwal apologised to Judge Welsh, who then sentenced him to four years in prison.