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One of the men jailed over the depraved plot to attack a three-year-old boy with acid inside a Home Bargains store has been assaulted in prison.

Jabar Paktiam, 42, has been attacked in prison THREE times since his arrest, according to Balraj Bhatia, defending.

Paktia, 42, of New Hampton Road, Wolverhampton, and 43-year-old Saied Hussini, of Wrottesley Road, London, were found guilty alongside Adam Cech, 27, of Farnham Road, Birmingham; Jan Dudi, 25, of Cranbrook Road, Birmingham, and Norbert Pulko, 22, of Sutherland Road, London.

The three-year-old victim's father was also found guilty of plotting to throw sulphuric acid with intent to "burn, maim or disfigure" the boy in an attack on July 21 last year.

The father cannot be named for legal reasons.

Sentencing, Judge Juckes described the case as "unique", telling the court he had "never come across a case in which there were so many people involved, targeting a child".

Balraj Bhatia, for Paktia, said of the married father-of-four: "He has been attacked on three separate occasions in custody, receiving significant injuries as a result.

"He accepts he has been injured and may continue to be injured."

An NSPCC spokesman said: “It is difficult to comprehend how a father could be involved in such a horrific attack on his defenceless three-year-old son, when he should have been protecting the child from harm.

“We would urge anyone concerned about a child’s welfare to speak out."

(Image: Matthew Cooper/PA Wire)

Paktia and Pulko - who did not give evidence - along with Cech and Dudi, were described as "actively involved" by the judge and jailed for 12 years each.

The child suffered a 10cm burn injury to his left forearm, and a 3cm burn on his forehead, which needed specialist hospital treatment, but has since made a good recovery.

All three men were captured on CCTV at the scene of the attack, after following the boy and his mother to the store from their home in a Vauxhall Vectra.

The attack happened at 2.16pm on Saturday July 21, when Cech approached the child and squirted acid at him from a small plastic medicine-type bottle.

Jurors heard how the injured boy repeatedly screamed "I hurt, I hurt" after he was sprayed.

Footage then showed the three men calmly making their escape - Pulko even stopping at the tills to purchase two items.

The attack followed what prosecutors claimed had been an "aborted attack" at a school eight days earlier.

During that incident, Pulko, and Saied Hussini, of Wrottesley Road, London, were seen by eagle-eyed neighbours loitering in the area.

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CCTV footage later showed Pulko approaching the child, who was walking with his mother, with an object held in his hand before he veered away without incident.

Pulko and middle-man Jabar Paktia, 42, of New Hampton Road, Wolverhampton, who introduced the father to Hussini, were also convicted of the same charge.

Hussini, who tested the strength of the acid on his arm before the attack, was also found guilty of the same charge and was called a key member of the "organisation of lies", by the judge.

The 43-year-old was jailed for 14 years for his senior role in the conspiracy.

He had claimed the father had been willing to pay £3,000 to carry out the job, adding Paktia, Hussini and the father all went together to first meet Pulko.

A feature of the trial was the "markedly cut-throat" defences, Judge Juckes said.

Sentencing, Judge Juckes said: "Even battle-hardened Crown Court judges were sickened when they heard the news that someone had attacked a three-year-old with sulphuric acid."

He added: "It became increasingly apparent how well-planned this was, with links going back to the man at the heart of this attack, who was the boy's own father."

Judge Juckes said the men then "spent the night in celebration" after the attack, "as though none of you began to appreciate the monstrous thing you had done".

Those with concerns for the welfare of a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline in confidence on 0808 800 5000.

He said: "It is an extraordinary thing in this case that not one of you, most of whom have no previous convictions, most of whom with families of your own, at any stage stood back and asked the question of yourself and others, 'What are we doing?"'