Three Britons in Custody over Hammer Attack on UAE Women

Three men were remanded in custody by a British court Thursday in connection with a hammer attack at a London hotel on three wealthy tourists from the United Arab Emirates.

The attack happened in the early hours of April 6 in a room on the seventh floor of the four-star Cumberland Hotel, next to Hyde Park and the main Oxford Street shopping area.

Philip Spence, 32, of no fixed abode, appeared at Southwark Crown Court in London charged with three counts of attempted murder and one of aggravated burglary, Scotland Yard said.

Also in court were Thomas Efremi, 56, of Islington, north London, who is charged with handling stolen goods and fraud by false representation, and James Moss, 33, of Finsbury Park, north London, who is also charged with handling stolen goods.

All three were remanded in custody before a plea and management hearing at Southwark Crown Court on July 3.

Carly Baker, 31, of Finsbury Park, who is charged with handling stolen goods, was bailed to appear at the same hearing.

All four of those charged are British nationals.

The victims were part of a wealthy family group who had come to London for shopping and sightseeing. The women had visited high-end stores in the West End on Saturday.

They were sleeping with three children, who were unharmed, in two adjoining rooms when the attack took place.

One of the victims remains in a critical condition in hospital. The other two women are also in hospital, but their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, police said.