Coward's vicious attack blinded 97-year-old in one eye

His face a mask of hatred, a thug lashes out at a defenceless old man.

The victim, Shah Chaudhry, is 97 years old and the attack left him blind in one eye.

He had lived independently, but the loss of his eyesight and a deterioration in his health now means he has to live in a residential care home.

Today the cowardly attacker, 44-year-old alcoholic Stephen Gordon, will be sentenced at Croydon Crown Court after being found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm on one of the trams which run through the town.

He had claimed that Mr Chaudhry had attacked him and he was merely defending himself.

But as the CCTV picture shows, the pensioner, who walks with the aid of two sticks, was clinging on to rail with both hands as Gordon punched him in the face.

During Gordon's trial, Mr Chaudhry was not well enough to give evidence. But a statement was read out in which he told how he boarded the tram, which was full, on December 14.

None of the other passengers offered him a seat so he leaned against the rail to steady himself as the tram set off.

Gordon tried to push past Mr Chaudhry by ducking under his arms before lashing out and accusing the elderly man of knocking his hat off.

He shouted at his victim calling him a "bastard", then left the tram at the next stop - pursued by two school children who saw the attack.

Mr Chaudhry's statement added: "The driver and other passengers came to my aid, and I was taken to hospital. I had done or said nothing to provoke him."

At the trial jobless Gordon claimed the pensioner had punched him - and the CCTV footage which caught him redhanded had been faked.

His claim that he had acted in self-defence was rejected by the jury and he was convicted of the attack.

British Transport Police Detective Superintendent Darren Stenning said: "This was a particularly nasty attack on an elderly man who was obviously very frail and was physically not able to defend himself.

"We would like to thank the witnesses, including two schoolchildren, who were able to provide police with vital evidence in this investigation."

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