Royal Navy diver ‘broke Royal Marine’s jaw with a single punch after victim tried to break up fight between him and group of Americans in Guam’

A royal navy diver broke a Royal Marine’s jaw with a single punch after the victim tried to break up a fight between him and a group of Americans in Guam, a court martial has heard. 

Fraser Malek allegedly hit Captain Ewan Zielinski with such force he was knocked ‘cleanly’ off his feet and needed titanium plates screwed into his jaw. 

Leading diver Malek – who was topless at the time – had been involved in a fight with a group of Americans when Royal Marine officer Mr Zielinski tried to intervene ‘peacefully’ to split it up.

The attack happened on the island of Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean which is known for its beautiful beaches, in August 2021.

LD Malek, then 28, was with Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth and its Carrier Strike Group, which is made up of fighter jets, nuclear submarines, and an array of units including minesweepers.

LD Malek allegedly hit Captain Ewan Zielinski (pictured) with such force he was knocked ‘cleanly’ off his feet and needed titanium plates screwed into his jaw

Malek is part of the 2nd Mine Countermeasures Squadron (MCM2), an elite Navy unit which uses hi-tech equipment to detect and hunt mines.

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard LD Malek, had been out in Tumon, Guam, with a Navy colleague and the pair were in a fight with a group of Americans, thought to be civilians.

Commander Matthew Rees, prosecuting, said the duo were ‘aggressive’ to the Americans and that a US man was punched and fell to the floor while an American woman was pushed to the ground.

Mr Rees said Mr Zielinski – on his first ever deployment – did ‘exactly what you would hope’ and tried to intervene.

He did not know any of the parties involved in the fight but ‘led the way’, and he and two friends who had also been out went over to help.

However, as soon as he crossed the road he was punched and knocked to the ground.

‘Capt Zielinski had only been punched once but it was a hard punch’, Mr Rees said.

‘It transpired that his jaw had been broken in two places. His deployment was over, he was transported back to the UK and had two metal plates screwed in.’

Leading diver Malek – who was topless at the time – had been involved in a fight with a group of Americans. Pictured: LD Malek outside Bulford Military Court

The prosecutor said that, in his police interview, LD Malek ‘accepted’ he had been in an argument with Americans, punched an American man and pushed a woman, but denied punching Mr Zielinski.

Giving evidence, Mr Zielinski told how he tried to break up the fight and was ‘peaceful’.

He said he and two colleagues had been enjoying a night out drinking and were returning to their hotels when they noticed the fight around 1am.

Mr Zielinski told the court: ‘I saw a group of people the other side of the street distressed.. about 20 metres away, an altercation was taking place.

‘There was a group of people, five to eight men and women, who were arguing with two men. One of the two men punched one of the male members of the group, and one of the men grabbed a woman and threw her to the ground.

‘I thought it was my duty to go and help these people. I planned to talk to the two males and resolve it peacefully.

‘I went to walk to one of the two men with my hands raised to show a peaceful gesture.

‘In my eyes he was in a violent state of mind.

Lieutenant Henry Saunders, who was out with Mr Zielinski and also tried to help break up the fight, described the man who punched his colleague as ‘aggressive’

‘As I approached, the next thing I recall was being hit in the face. I can’t recall who hit me in the face. It was very quick and I didn’t see it coming.

‘From my recollection I fell to the floor but got straight back up. It was quite a hard punch, it was hard enough to break my jaw. I’d say it was a nine out of 10 [on a scale of not hard to hard].’ 

He added: ‘I was bleeding a lot from my mouth, it was non-stop bleeding but I could not swallow it due to the pain from my jaw.’

Mr Zielinski said he cannot recall what his attacker’s face looked like – but added: ‘I believe he was shirtless at the time.’ 

He said the morning after the punch he felt like he had a ‘wobbly tooth’ so the Navy sent him to see the dentist – but following an X-ray it emerged he had broken his jaw.

Lieutenant Henry Saunders, who was out with Mr Zielinski and also tried to help break up the fight, described the man who punched his colleague as ‘aggressive’.

Lt Saunders, known as Harry, said: ‘It was a pretty hard hit, it knocked him off his feet pretty cleanly and into the bush by the road.’

Prosecutor Mr Rees said LD Malek and his friend fled but were tracked down by police and arrested after people at the scene of the fight informed officers as to which way they went.

Lt Saunders said he later ‘recognised’ LD Malek when he assisted in an identity parade as part of the investigation.

LD Malek denies inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The trial continues.