A group of men who threw 40 kicks and punches at an American student during an 'unprovoked' attack which left him with post-traumatic stress disorder have been jailed for more than 15 years.

U.S. student Francesco Hounye, 23, had only been in Britain for three days when he was left permanently scarred after being attacked by the gang as he walked home following a night out in Shadwell, east London.

Mr Hounye suffered a fractured eye socket and was left needing 23 stitches after being kicked repeatedly in the head by the five men, who also grabbed a bottle of Jagermeister liquor from his hand and smashed it over his head.

According to police, Mr Hounye was assaulted simply because he was 'obviously not local'.

Samad Uddin, 25, Shaleem Uddin, 21, Shadhat Hussain, 20, Kamrul Hussain, 23, and Masoom Rahman, 22, were today jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court for the attack.

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U.S. student Francesco Hounye, 23, had only been in Britain for three days when he was left permanently scarred after being attacked by the gang as he walked home following a night out in Shadwell, east London

CCTV footage of the brutal attack shows the five men confronting Mr Hounye, who was in the UK to study

CCTV footage showed Mr Hounye being kicked mercilessly by the gang during the attack on June 17, 2013

The 23-year-old was left with a fractured eye socket and needed 23 stitches following the attack in London

Samad Uddin, 25, Shaleem Uddin, 21, Shadhat Hussain, 20, Kamrul Hussain, 23, and Masoom Rahman, 22, were today jailed at Snaresbrook Crown Court for the attack. Mr Hounye was left permanently scarred

The court heard how the gang landed up to 40 kicks and punches in just 30 seconds during the brutal attack on Mr Hounye on June 17, 2013.

CCTV footage showed Mr Hounye being kicked mercilessly as he lay crouched in the road.

He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the incident and dropped out of college where he had been training to be a commercial pilot, the court heard.

He has since been left too terrified to go out in London and plans to return to his hometown in Florida, U.S.

In a victim impact statement, 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result of this incident, I am now scared to go out on my own, particularly at night, and have become a much quieter and withdrawn person.

'I remain a visitor to the UK, but this incident has made me reassess my future plans.

'I was intending to remain in the UK and attend interviews as a personal trainer to fund my studies; however I could not attend job interviews when my face looked like it did.

'I felt very emotional about the whole situation at the time, and I am continuing to attend regular counselling sessions with a psycho-therapist, which began in January 2014.

'I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and now take regular medication to help me sleep.

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

'I now face the rest of my life with the permanent scarring that has been left as a result of this attack as well as the emotional distress it has caused me. These physical scars now act as a permanent reminder of what happened to me on that night.'

The gang included a man who had dreams of enrolling at medical school and a youngster who played an 'instrumental' role in preventing further disruption during the London riots, the court heard.

Sentencing the five men, Judge Alistair Hammerton, said: 'Mr Hounye has suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.

'He has been left with permanent scarring, and the attack had adverse effects on his college studies.

'He was pursued by all five defendants, and they submitted him to an attack that included kicks, knee strikes, and punches.

'The prosecution submitted there were at least 40 punches or kicks given during this short attack.'

He added: 'Shaleem Uddin was one of the principal protagonists in this attack on Mr Hounye and that is clear from the CCTV.'

Ringleaders Shaleem Uddin, 21 (right), and Samad Uddin, 25 (left), both of Whitechapel, east London, were today jailed for six years and five-and-a-half years respectively for causing grievous bodily harm with intent

Kamrul Hussain, 23 (left), also of Whitechapel, was jailed for 27 months while Masoom Rahman, 22 (right), who threw three punches at Mr Hounye, escaped with an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years

Shahdat Hussain, 20 (above), of Canning Town, east London, was given 22 months for grievous bodily harm

MR HOUNYE: 'THESE PHYSICAL SCARS ACT AS A PERMANENT REMINDER' '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. 'I remain a visitor to the UK, but this incident has made me reassess my future plans. 'I was intending to remain in the UK and attend interviews as a personal trainer to fund my studies; however I could not attend job interviews when my face looked like it did. 'I felt very emotional about the whole situation at the time, and I am continuing to attend regular counselling sessions with a psycho-therapist, which began in January 2014. I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and now take regular medication to help me sleep. 'As a direct result of this incident, the course in which I wanted to take my life and career has completely changed. 'Due to the medication I am taking, I have been advised not to travel and therefore have not been able to return to the U.S.. As a consequence I have been dropped by my college and all the work I had previously completed towards my pilot's licence has now been wasted. 'I now face the rest of my life with the permanent scarring that has been left as a result of this attack as well as the emotional distress it has caused me. These physical scars now act as a permanent reminder of what happened to me on that night.' Advertisement

Judge Hammerton also told the defendants that he was 'quite satisfied' that the victim 'did not provoke this attack in anyway.'

He added: 'This incident had a substantial impact on him, that includes psychological problems and permanent scarring.

'The aggravating features are that this was a group attack and the offence was committed at night.'

Ringleaders Shaleem Uddin and Samad Uddin, both of Whitechapel, east London, were jailed for six years and five-and-a-half years respectively for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Samad Uddin is already currently serving a 32-month sentence for possession with intent to supply and money laundering, which he was jailed for in January. The judge told him the GBH sentence would run concurrently.

Kamrul Hussain, also of Whitechapel, was jailed for 27 months while Shahdat Hussain, of Canning Town, east London, was given 22 months. Both were jailed for grievous bodily harm but are likely to be released in due course after serving the terms while on remand.

Masoom Rahman, who threw three punches at Mr Hounye, escaped with an 18-month sentence suspended for two years. The 22-year-old, also of Whitechapel, was also ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 compensation, and an additional £800 in costs.

Describing the incident, prosecution barrister Paul Casey, previously told the court: 'At just after midnight on June 17, 2013 Mr Hounye was walking home from the Whitechapel area along North Road toward Commercial Road after a night out.

Masoom Rahman, 22, (pictured outside an earlier court hearing) escaped with an 18-month sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to do 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 compensation

'They passed a group of men which Mr Hounye described them - by their behaviour and body language - as threatening and aggressive.

'They continued on their way and they were followed by a group of five males and they were surrounded by the group.

'Mr Hounye was grabbed by the shoulder. Four of the men surrounded him and Shaleem Uddin tried to wrestle the bottle out of his hand.

'He was punched in the face and Shaleem Uddin used a bottle to strike Mr Hounye over the head, causing him severe cuts to the side of his head.'

The court also heard how Mr Hounye tried to cross to the other side of the road to get away from the gang, but was followed before they set on him - punching him and kicking him to the floor.

Samad Uddin then kicked Mr Hounye in the head while he was on the ground.

Mr Casey said: 'We have been trying to explain why what happened, happened.

'There has been some speculative reporting as to what was the motivation may have been, but the reality is we don't know.

'But there has been no indication from the complainant.

'The Crown says this was an unprovoked attack and to say anything else would be speculation.'

The court heard that Shaleem Uddin was 'disgusted' by his own actions.

Adam Sersch, in mitigation, added: 'He couldn't believe he was involved in such a horrific event.'

One of the gang, Shadhat Hussain, has dreams of going to medical school, his defence counsel claimed.

Ian Stebbings, for Shahdat Hussain, said: 'He has many qualifications and he hopes to go on to apply for medical school. '

During the London Riots, Kamrul Hussain had played an 'instrumental' role in preventing further disruption in the Tower Hamlets area, his defence counsel claimed.

Daniel Robinson, in mitigation, said that Kamrul Hussain had worked with the City of London Police after getting into trouble at the youth courts as a juvenile.

During the riots, the defendant continued to work with the police Mr Robinson claimed, adding: 'He was instrumental in supporting the police to minimise disruption and to try and ensure that young people from Tower Hamlets didn't get involved.'

As well as their sentences, all defendants were told they would also have to pay a victim surcharge.

Following the sentencing, investigating officer Detective Constable Ben Mott thanked the public for their help in identifying the defendants.

He said: 'This was a savage, unprovoked and prolonged attack by five men on an innocent visitor to London.

'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.