Sanjay Warrier: Top doctor, surgeon in hotel Sydney shoe assault
He’s one of the country’s top surgeons with a glittering CV. But Sanjay Warrier has found himself before the courts for a bizarre drunken attack on a hotel concierge in which he declared ‘I am very powerful’ after hitting him over the head with his shoes.
Southern Courier
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One of Australia’s leading minds in breast cancer surgery has escaped conviction for drunkenly assaulting and chasing a hotel concierge down a street in Sydney’s CBD.
University of Sydney Associate Professor Sanjay Warrier was on Friday handed a 15-month good behaviour bond after he pleaded guilty to a common assault charge laid late last year following a staff Christmas party.
The president of Breast Surgeons of Australia and New Zealand, he is a highly respected member of Sydney’s medical fraternity and is based at celebrated cancer hospital the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown.
Facts tendered in court have revealed the bizarre incident on December 15, 2019, when Warrier hit a hotel lobby manager over the head with his shoes.
It was about 5.45am when the surgeon and oncologist walked into the lobby of Hyde Park Towers in Surry Hills, shoes in hand, when his would-be victim offered him assistance.
According to the facts the 42-year-old was visibly intoxicated, after drinking between 4pm and 12am the night before, and the concierge offered to call him a taxi.
Warrier then approached the wooden booth in which the hotel employee was seated, walked behind the counter and assaulted him.
“The accused had his shoes in his hands and in a swinging motion hit the victim in the head,” police facts state.
“The victim stood from his chair and asked (Warrier) to leave the booth.”
The Randwick resident loitered outside the hotel for a short period before coming back inside the lobby, venturing back behind the booth and threatening the concierge.
“You do know who I am,” Warrier said. “I am very powerful.”
According to the facts, the victim was then “cornered” in the booth but managed to flee, running down Elizabeth St and being dramatically chased by the doctor.
Passing Australian Federal Police officers saw the hotel staffer calling for help and stopped to investigate. Warrier was soon arrested.
Following his arrest he told officers he had no memory of the incident and asked if he could apologise to the victim.
On Friday lawyer Murugan Thangaraj SC told the court a repentant Warrier knew his body “doesn’t deal with alcohol properly” and that his client had abstained from drinking 10 years ago.
It was critical Warrier was not convicted for the attack so he could continue his “important work” here and overseas, Mr Thangaraj argued.
A further charge of stalk/intimidate causing fear of harm was withdrawn when Warrier pleaded guilty to the common assault charge on March 5.
Magistrate Mitch Crompton described the incident as “quite perplexing”, finding it to be “absurd” behaviour from a leading medical expert whose work has helped shape breast cancer treatment in Australia
The attack was a “complete abberation” of Warrier’s character, the magistrate said, and showed the damaging effects of alcohol.
He warned Warrier that any breach of the good behaviour bond could have dire consequences.