Asian men jailed over race attack

The Old Bailey heard the violent attack followed racist abuse

Three Asian men who were convicted of attacking a group of friends and trying to kill one of them have each been given an 18-year jail sentence.

Sodrul Islam, 23, Delwar Hussain, 21, Mamoon Hussain, 20, were sentenced at the Old Bailey.

John Payne, 33, was left partially paralysed by the attack on an east London estate nearly two years ago.

The court heard that as many as 30 men attacked the group of five white people, shouting racial abuse.

Police said the attack was unprovoked; Mr Payne had been on a night out with four friends when they were attacked.

He is thought to have been struck by a machete or axe before falling to the ground.

Mr Payne was repeatedly kicked, causing bone fragments to enter his brain. He now suffers from epilepsy as a result of the attack.

Never being able to play football with my son is the harshest thing that I will ever have to endure John Payne Estate's non-white majority

The three men convicted of attacking him were all found guilty of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and violent disorder.

But there was no evidence that any of the three shouted racial abuse or used a weapon.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, Mr Payne explained that since the attack he had lost his job and home, he still had no feeling in one foot and suffered from epilepsy.

"Never being able to play football with my son is the harshest thing that I will ever have to endure," he said.

Debbie Granger, Mr Payne's cousin, said: "We are pleased with the sentence and feel that justice has been served to those responsible for such a violent crime."

However, she added that several other attackers are "still on the loose".