A Manchester court on Thursday (6) jailed a man for three years for severely attacking a Sikh priest in the street and left him for dead, media reports said.
In June this year, Claudio Campos, 28, of Ladybarn Lane, Fallowfield, punched Avtar Singh, 62, in Manchester city centre’s Northern Quarter.
Following the attack, the British Indian man suffered a severe brain injury, a stroke and multiple fractures to his cheek, jaw and eye socket.
Even after three months of the incident Singh is still hospitalised and needs 24-hour nursing and medical care.
In a victim’s statement, the Sikh priest’s family called Campos a “thug”.
The Manchester Crown Court heard that the youngster attacked the Sikh man after her girlfriend complained that he ‘touched her bottom’.
CCTV footage revealed that Campos walked to the man and demanded an explanation. When Singh tried to walk away from him, he quickly punched him in the head twice. After grabbing the victim’s shirt he again attacked him in the head.
Then Singh fell unconscious in the middle of the road and Campos walked away from the scene.
According to reports, he and his girlfriend, Claudia, celebrated their fifth anniversary in a bar after the incident.
He was nabbed after three months of the incident when police received a tip-off after a CCTV appeal for help.
During the hearing Campos rejected that he had attacked Singh because of his turban.
While sentencing him, Judge Hilary Manley said that Campos had no ‘justifiable reason’ to attack Singh.
Singh’s wife, Navinder, told Campos: “He was a happy man, minding his own business. You attacked his turban, a crown every Sikh wears in public, you left him for dead.”
His daughter Sukhveer branded Campos a “monster” and her sister, Surinder, said: “I think of you as nothing but a thug. You hid like a coward for three months.”
According to Pritpal Singh Makan, Singh and were regular volunteers with not-for-profit organisation Sewa (Selfless Efforts for Welfare of All). He helped to feed the homeless every Sunday in Manchester city centre, he told the court.
Earlier, Campos pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm. Hence the judge reduced the jail term from five to three years, reports said.
“When our dad came to this country over 30 years ago, he never imagined that he would be the subject of such a heinous attack which has left him bed bound and in hospital for as long as he has been. As a family, we are truly heartbroken and still struggle to come to terms with the reality of his future and the truth behind this crime,” Singh’s family said in a victim’s statement.
“He didn’t do anything to deserve this situation where he has permanently damaged his sight and lost complete mobility down his right side. Although we will never get the strong powerful man, who is the light of our lives back, we are satisfied with the result given by the court.”
