FIVE men who admitted a violent bottle attack on a student from Florida who was left scarred for life, have been sentenced.
The suspects from east London had been caught on CCTV setting upon 22-year-old Francesco Hounye, who had only arrived in the UK three days earlier.
They smashed a bottle into his face and then chased after him to continue their assault, repeatedly kicking and punching him. He was left needing 23 stitches and was scarred for life after the brutal assault.
The attack happened in the early hours of Monday, June 17 2013 in Commercial Road, E1, about 15 metres east from the junction with New Road.
Imprisoned on Monday (2) at Snaresbrook Crown Court were Shelim Uddin, 21, Shahdat Hussain, 20, Kamrul Hussain, 23Masoom Rahman, 22 and Samad Uddin, 25.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Ben Mott, from Tower Hamlets police, said: "This was a savage, unprovoked and prolonged attack by five men on an innocent visitor to London.
"I hope the sentences handed down by the Judge today go some way to providing Francesco Hounye with a sense of justice and closure and continue to demonstrate that the Metropolitan Police and the CPS are committed to putting perpetrators of violence in front of the courts."
The victim had been out for the night in the Brick Lane area with his 23-year-old friend, whom he was staying with while in the UK.
They were walking back to the friend's home in Shadwell and passed a group of men standing outside a restaurant in New Road.
Hounye, who now suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), was taken to the Royal London Hospital with deep slash wounds to his head and around his right ear and a fractured left eye socket.
Following the release of detailed CCTV footage to the media, all five suspects were identified and arrested between October 2013 and April 2014. They all gave 'no comment' interviews, giving no indication of their motives.
DC Mott added: "I would like to thank the press for their assistance in this case – the wide circulation of the CCTV images was instrumental in us being able to identity, charge and now convict those responsible for this violent attack."
In a victim impact statement Hounye said: "Prior to this incident I was a confident, ‘happy-go-lucky guy’. Never did I think that something like this would happen to me. As a direct result of this incident, I am now scared to go out on my own, particularly at night, and have become a much quieter and withdrawn person.
"I remain a visitor to the UK, but this incident has made me reassess my future plans. I was intending to remain in the UK and attend interviews as a personal trainer to fund my studies; however I could not attend job interviews when my face looked like it did.
"I felt very emotional about the whole situation at the time, and I am continuing to attend regular counselling sessions with a psycho-therapist, which began in January 2014. I have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and now take regular medication to help me sleep.
"As a direct result of this incident, the course in which I wanted to take my life and career has completely changed. Due to the medication I am taking, I have been advised not to travel and therefore have not been able to return to the US. As a consequence I have been dropped by my college and all the work I had previously completed towards my pilot's licence has now been wasted.
"I now face the rest of my life with the permanent scarring that has been left as a result of this attack as well as the emotional distress it has caused me. These physical scars now act as a permanent reminder of what happened to me on that night."
Shelim Uddin who had pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial on Monday, 25 June 2014 to grievous bodily harm with intent, was jailed on Monday for six years.
Shahdat Hussain pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial to grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 22 months in a young offenders' institute
Kamrul Hussain pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial to grievous bodily harm and jailed for two years and three months
Masoom Rahman pleaded guilty on the second day of the trial to grievous bodily harm and received a 18-month sentence suspended for two years and 200 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay Hounye £600 compensation
Samad Uddin pleaded guilty on the third day of the trial to grievous bodily harm with intent and was jailed for five-and-a half years.
