Four men who left a student scarred for life after a vicious gang attack in east London were today jailed for more than 15 years.

Another attacker faces almost two years in a young offenders' institute after the group's savage beating of Italian Francesco Hounye was captured in shocking CCTV footage.

Mr Hounye was left with severe facial injuries from being hit with a bottle near Brick Lane. He was also punched and kicked to the ground during the assault which happened in June 2013 - just three days after he arrived in London.

More than 18 months later, he says he still remains unable to leave the house and has had to give up on his dream of becoming a pilot.

Mr Hounye had moved to America from Rome with his mother as a teenager, and had come to the capital to study.

One of the men grabbed the bottle Mr Hounye was drinking from and smashed it against his face.

CCTV footage of the attack showed Mr Hounye desperately trying to escape by sprinting across the street. But the group chased after him and continued to beat him before running away.

Today, five men were sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court for their roles in the shocking assault.

Warning: Some people may find this video distressing

In a victim impact statement, Mr Hounye told how the attack had left him too scared to leave the house alone and his permanent scarring had hindered his job search.

And he revealed he was "dropped" by his US college where he had been studying to be a pilot because he was advised not to travel thanks to his medication needs.

Mr Hounye said: "Prior to this incident I was a confident, ‘happy-go-lucky guy’. Never did I think that something like this would happen to me. As a direct result of this incident, I am now scared to go out on my own, particularly at night, and have become a much quieter and withdrawn person.

"As a direct result of this incident, the course in which I wanted to take my life and career has completely changed."

He added: "These physical scars now act as a permanent reminder of what happened to me on that night."

Mr Hounye, who was taken to the Royal London Hospital with deep slashes in his head, needed 23 stitches in his face as well as more internal stitches.

"I hope the sentences handed down by the Judge today go some way to providing Francesco Hounye with a sense of justice and closure and continue to demonstrate that the Metropolitan Police and the CPS are committed to putting perpetrators of violence in front of the courts."