Eastbourne man speaks to Princess Royal about experience with restorative justice

Zac Mehmeti (right) speaking about his experience SUS-170223-174426001

Princess Anne, who is Patron of the Restorative Justice Council, visited Sackville House, Lewes, to learn more about the work of the award-winning Sussex Restorative Justice Partnership.

Zac Mehmeti, a father-of-two from Eastbourne, spoke of his experience of restorative justice after being held up at knifepoint while driving his taxi.

A refugee from Kosovo who came to the UK as a teenager 18 years ago, he described how the robbery had shaken his faith in his adopted home.

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne and Princess Anne SUS-170223-174412001

“I felt worse the night that happened than I felt during the war,” he said. “In the war, you expected to be killed every minute but that night, I was just working, I wasn’t doing anything wrong and then someone came and put a knife to my neck.

“I wondered if I was targeted because I’m foreign. I don’t have the words to describe how bad I was feeling – I was thinking about leaving the country, I told my wife that we weren’t safe here any more.”

But after receiving a letter from his attacker, Zac says he was able to find peace.

“He told me he was high on drink and drugs, that I could have been anyone.

“The support we received throughout the process from the police made me feel more confident and like someone cared for us again.”