Man jailed for attack on student

A man has been jailed for five years for attacking a student who had confronted him for queue jumping at a garage in east London.

Adyl Kanata, 23, was left with irreversible brain damage after the attack in May 2001.

Southwark Crown Court was told he was blind and immobile and had no prospect of recovery.

Daniel Barker, 28, of Stepney, was convicted of wounding with intent at a trial in November last year.

This was a most horrendous attack on a young man Judge George Bathurst-Norman

During the trial, the prosecution said Mr Kanata and some friends got into a argument with Barker after he jumped the queue at a cashier's window at a petrol station in Hackney.

The court heard that Mr Kanata was stabbed in the stomach by one of Barker's passengers.

The jury saw CCTV footage showing Barker getting a steering wheel lock from his car and using it to batter Mr Kanata over the shoulder and head.

Sentencing him, Judge George Bathurst-Norman said: "This was a most horrendous attack on a young man whose only fault was that he objected to you queue-jumping. I have no doubt at all that you instigated the attack."

Barker was cleared of an attack on Mr Kanata's friend Yousaf Kavira, 20, who was also stabbed.

He had denied the charges claiming it was "mistaken identity".