A pair of robbers who sprayed ammonia in the faces of two women in 'cruel and barbaric' attacks were both jailed for ten years today.

Wanna-be gangster rapper Sadik Kamara, 24, and his accomplice Joshua Jordan, 20, used corrosive fluid to disable and terrify their victims, the Old Bailey heard.

The first victim, Quyen Bui, fought like a 'lioness defending her cubs', the judge said.

Wanna-be gangster rapper Sadik Kamara, left, was serving a suspended jail sentence for attacking a police officer when he attacked two women with ammonia along with his co-accused Joshua Jordan, right, who were both jailed for ten years today

Judge John Dodd QC said the attacks were 'horrifying, cruel and barbaric' as he jailed them both for ten years, and handed them a four-year extended licence.

He ruled both were dangerous, meaning they will serve two-thirds of the jail term.

They showed no emotion as they were led from the dock.

Judge Dodd said: 'In both attacks you used ammonia to disable and to terrify your victims. In both cases your victims were women, both slight in build.

'In both cases you chose to spray ammonia in your victims' faces gratuitously and unnecessarily.

'You were part of a gang of five adult men who had no need to use such a horrible weapon, or any weapon at all.'

The gang waited outside until they were sure the family-run Vietnamese supermarket was empty during the first attack.

Judge Dodd said: 'She had worked there for ten years providing an important service to the local community.

'CCTV footage from the shop captured a gang of four men, all wearing dark clothing with rudimentary covering to their faces, and all apparently wearing gloves, rushing in.

A few hours after the attack, Kamara called for an ambulance claiming he had injured himself with ammonia while cleaning

'Mrs Bui is plainly a formidable person, despite her small stature.

'She fought like a lioness defending her cubs.

'This was indeed a cowardly attack upon a lone and essentially defenceless women, in which you chose to throw corrosive fluid into her face. She was given no warning.

'It is a remarkable feature of the attack no permanent disfigurement resulted.

'They were both extremely fortunate they didn't suffer disfigurement.

'That's not as a result of any consideration or mercy on your part, it was just their great fortune.'

He added: 'These are dreadful, indeed shocking offences.

'You chose to rob women who would have stood no chance against you, part of a gang of five men, even if you had been unarmed.

'But you still thought it right to take corrosive fluid with you, and to use it absolutely gratuitously upon two slightly built women.'

The Old Bailey heard the ammonia in the containers found by police had a pH level of 13

He said the victims would remember the attacks for many years.

The court heard Kamara had been caught with ammonia before, but was given the 'benefit of the doubt' after claiming it was for his girlfriend's bathroom.

The judge said: 'That fact alone suggests to me you carried ammonia routinely, or at the very least were no stranger to it.'

Both victims were awarded £1,000 in compensation which will come from money seized from Kamara's jacket.

Police found two half-litre bottles of ammonia multi-purpose cleaner called 'Kleen Off' near the scene of both attacks.

The corrosive liquid had a pH level of 13.

The two played 'leading roles' in a masked gang which drove from Canning Town to Hackney, east London hunting for 'petite' women to rob on March 10.

Benn Maguire, prosecuting, told the Old Bailey: 'This was a case involving five men preying on women to attack and rob.

'They selected women who were petite.

'They were vulnerable during the robbery, and, undoubtedly to instil fear in the minds of their victim, these defendants sprayed ammonia into the faces of their victims.

'Any attempt to shout for help as a result of that attack resulted in ammonia being sprayed into their open mouths.

'It is obvious that ammonia being sprayed on to skin can indeed result in horrific burns and excruciating pain and disfigurement.

'There is a growing fear in relation to offences of these nature.'

The pair stormed Le Mi Supermarket in Hackney with two accomplices while a fifth kept a lookout.

Without warning, Kamara squirted the industrial-strength drain cleaner three times in the face of Mrs Bui, 51.

Mr Maguire said: 'She started to scream for help. Mr Kamara reacted to those screams by spraying her again, and sprayed ammonia into her mouth.'

She pressed the panic button, before being knocked to the ground.

As she lay on the floor Jordan stamped on her, leaving a boot imprint, as they fled empty-handed to Kamara's getaway Ford Focus.

Mrs Bui quickly poured water on herself, which diluted the effects, but still suffered chemical burns to her mouth.

She was left with a 'very painful' eye, and her sense of taste was 'severely affected'.

Police arrived and found the smell of ammonia had a 'gagging effect' akin to their training with CS gas.

Meanwhile, the gang robbed Mrs Nguyen, a nail technician, in a street half a mile away.

She had been walking to a friend's house after getting out of a taxi when the gang drove past and stopped.

Kamara and Jordan forced her to the ground and pinned her down, before spraying acid in her face.

They ran off laughing with her Michael Kors handbag, containing £375 in cash, a bank card and mobile phone.

Nearby residents left their flats and doused Mrs Nguyen in water, diluting the effects.

The victims, both Vietnamese, were taken to hospital with facial burns, but neither was left permanently disfigured.

Discarded ammonia bottles were found near both scenes, warning the liquid was of high strength and could cause 'severe skin burns and blindness'.

A few hours later, Kamara called for an ambulance and went to hospital claiming he had sprayed ammonia in his eyes while cleaning.

The pair, both of Newham, east London, were convicted of attempted robbery, robbery and two counts of applying a corrosive liquid with intent to burn, disfigure or cause bodily harm.

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Bui said: 'After the incident I was so terrified that I could not go to work.

'In the past I could read the writing on, for example, receipts, without any problem but it is not the case any more.

'I am now wearing glasses of 2.00 lens power. I am still in a state of fear and so have decided to give up the job.'

Mrs Nguyen said: 'After the chemical was sprayed into my face my eyes became a blur and the snatch of my bag made me feel really scared.

'Thereafter I kept feeling unsafe, worried and scared.'

The pair have a string of convictions between them including for drug offences, possession of a knife and criminal damage.

At the time, Kamara was subject to a suspended six-month jail sentence for a conviction in 2016 for possession of an offensive weapon and assaulting a police officer.

Tony Nayager, defending Kamara said: 'This was a wicked attack on both ladies. I accept there was significant injuries caused.'

Although Kamara performs gangster rap under the name of Trizzy Trapz, he writes about his family and one-year-old daughter instead of the usual fields of drugs and guns, he said.

Mr Nayager added: 'It is unfortunate gangster rap has certain connotations. Aficionados of it may be certain types.'

Charles Burton, defending Jordan, said he was on the 'cusp of full adulthood' and 'significantly younger' than the others, with a 'tendency to lose his temper'.

Their three accomplices have not been traced.

Detective Constable Ben Kahane, who led the investigation, said: 'The behaviour of both Kamara and Jordan was cowardly in the extreme.

'Five physically strong males preying on lone slightly built women to attack and rob. The use of ammonia to burn their victims was completely unnecessary to achieve their aim of to steal. I hope they use the 14 years’ imprisonment that they have received to reflect on this.'