A close associate of hate preacher Anjem Choudary who beat up a schoolboy for cuddling his girlfriend in a Muslim Patrol-style street attack is facing jail today.

Michael Coe, 35, was acting as a "self-appointed enforcer" when he grabbed the 16-year-old round the neck and flung him to the floor, then turned his anger on a passing teacher who tried to intervene.

He branded the boy's girlfriend a "whore" for hugging in the street, after quizzing the young couple on whether they were Muslim.

Judge Michael Gledhill QC said Coe was acting as a "self-appointed enforcer" of his Islamic values, and he had been involved in a "strikingly similar" incident in 2013.

"He saw two people he assumed were Muslim behaving as young people lawfully and frequently do in every town and every street in this country", said the judge.

"Having seen them cuddling he took offences because he thought they were Muslims and to his way of thinking Islam prohibits such behaviour.

"He stopped to reprimand them, acting as a self-appointed enforcer of how he thinks the Muslim religion should be conducted."

The judge added that Coe "poses a very high risk of committing further offences of violence" when free from prison, and will consider a lengthy prison term when sentencing Coe.

Coe has been in and out of prison since he was a teenager, including an eight-year sentence in 2006 for possession of a shotgun and trying to shot at police officers.

While behind bars, he was converted to Islam by al Qaeda terrorist Dhiren Barot and adopted the name Mikael Ibrahim.

Following his release, Coe became associated with hate preacher Anjem Choudary's now notorious extremist group Al-Muhajiroun.

He has been photographed at a extremist demonstrations to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, against the banning of niqabs in France, and in support of Sharia Law, Southwark crown court heard.

Coe stood trial at the Old Bailey last June accused of trying to join ISIS, having been caught in the back of a lorry in Dover on its way out of the UK.

He was cleared of the charge but received a 15-month prison sentence for possessing false identity documents.

A jury deliberated for 90 minutes before convicting Coe of the attack on the schoolboy, in April 15 this year.

The incident has echoes of the notorious Muslim Patrols by Choudary associates Jordan Horner, Ricardo McFarlane, and Royal Barnes.

The three extremists toured east London to harangue and attack people who were displaying "non-Muslim" behaviour - including kissing and drinking alcohol.

During his trial, Coe admitted he had been convicted in 2013 of shouting at teenagers in the street when he overheard them using foul language, branding them "kuffir scum" during the incident.

In his latest conviction, Coe stopped his car while driving to see his heavily pregnant wife, so he could harangue the teenage couple as they cuddled in Wilson Road, East Ham.

Believing the boy was older, he first said "let that schoolgirl go", and then said: "How would you like it if your sister was cuddling?"

Coe then asked if they were Muslim, and fearing he would turn violent the teenagers denied it.

He then replied: "Why am I wasting my time with you if you are not Muslim?" and branded the girl a "whore".

The court heard Coe grabbed the boy around the neck and flung him to the ground. The boy was knocked out and woke up to find he was covered in blood.

"This case is about what started as unpleasant bullying with religious overtones in the street, followed by an attack by this 35-year-old man on a 16-year-old schoolboy", said prosecutor Jonathan Polnay.

Teacher Boutho Siwela witnessed the attack and tried to photograph Coe's car numberplate, but then found himself on the end of a violent assault.

Coe also grabbed him around the neck and threw him to the ground before driving away.

He later claimed the attack was in self defence, but jurors rejected the hulking 16-and-a-half stone Muslim's story.

Choudary, one of the founders of now banned Al-Muhajiroun, is currently in HMP Belmarsh awaiting sentence for inviting support for ISIS.

He was banned from contacting Coe - a known associate - while awaiting his trial, but was hauled in front of a judge after they were spotted speaking on a street corner.

Judge Michael Gledhill QC remanded Coe, of Devenish Road, Greenwich, in custody until sentencing on September 21, ordering a report on his "dangerousness".

Coe had denied assault occasioning actual bodily harm and battery but was convicted on both charges by the jury.

The court heard he had convictions for wounding, burglary, assault, and possession of drugs as a youth.

He was locked up for four years in 2001 for car jacking and received a 21-month sentence in 2002 for violent disorder.

Coe received the eight-year sentence in 2006 at Leeds crown court, and was fined £160 for the religiously aggravated haranguing in the street in 2013.