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| 'Vicious' rail attack man jailed | |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A man has been jailed indefinitely for a "vicious" and unprovoked attack on a charity worker on a train. | A man has been jailed indefinitely for a "vicious" and unprovoked attack on a charity worker on a train. |
| Roger Hare, 61, suffered serious head injuries and lapsed into coma when he was attacked at West Dulwich train station in south-east London. | Roger Hare, 61, suffered serious head injuries and lapsed into coma when he was attacked at West Dulwich train station in south-east London. |
| Ebeneezer Adesina, 20, from south London, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm at Southwark Crown Court. | Ebeneezer Adesina, 20, from south London, was found guilty of grievous bodily harm at Southwark Crown Court. |
| Mr Hare was on a train from Victoria to Orpington in February when Adesina repeatedly punched him on the head. | Mr Hare was on a train from Victoria to Orpington in February when Adesina repeatedly punched him on the head. |
| The attack took place on the crowded train after Mr Hare asked Adesina to move his feet to enable him to get off the carriage. | |
| Mr Hare was struck with such force that he landed head first on the platform and shattered his skull. Witnesses said he hit the ground like a "sack of potatoes". | |
| 'Dead already' | |
| Adesina then threatened other commuters before stepping over Mr Hare's body. | |
| As a doctor tried to revive Mr Hare, Adesina asked him: "What's the point? He's dead already." | |
| Mr Hare lost short and long-term memory as a result of skull fractures and suffered a broken cheekbone and bleeding into the brain. | |
| Adesina has previous convictions for robbery and breaking a fellow prisoner's jaw. | |
| He told the court that he attacked Mr Hare because he felt "violated and disrespected" when Mr Hare was forced to push past him to exit the train. | |
| Passing sentence, Judge Christopher Elwen said: "The savagery of that attack can be inferred from the descriptions of the eyewitnesses, who spoke variously of big, powerful, swinging punches delivered like a professional boxer, of Mr Hare being used like a punchbag, and there being a barrage of fists." | |
| 'Serious risk' | |
| The judge said there was no doubt Adesina "posed a serious risk to the public of death and serious injury". | |
| He added that Adesina "doesn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the offence and shows a propensity of using violence on a regular basis". | |
| Adesina must serve a minimum of five years 284 days before being considered for parole. | |
| Outside court, a statement from Mr Hare's family described him as a "loving husband and father", who had "struggled" to "return to full health". | |
| Det Const Leigh Marshall, from the British Transport Police, described the incident as a "cowardly, vicious and sustained attack". | |
| He added: "While incidents of this severity are extremely rare on the railways, this case highlights that people who commit offences of this nature will be found, prosecuted and convicted." |