Chilling footage shows the moment a thug attacked a Sikh leader as he walked home before then strolling away - leaving him lying in the middle of the street. Avtar Singh, 62, suffered life-changing brain injuries following the assault in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, earlier this year.
For the first time, uncensored CCTV footage has been released of the attack, which took place on June 23. Following the assault, Mr Singh was raced to hospital by paramedics, where he was diagnosed with a severe traumatic brain injury, a number of bleeds on the brain, and multiple facial fractures. As of today, (October 6), he still remains in hospital.
For months after the incident, officers issued multiple public appeals to find the man responsible for the crime. Their investigations would eventually lead them to the Fallowfield home of Claudio Campos, 28, who admitted attacking Mr Singh in his interview and has now been sentenced to three years behind bars.
At Manchester Crown Court on Thursday (October 6), video footage taken on the night of the incident was played, showing Campos walking with his girlfriend along Hilton Street and Mr Singh passing them. Campos then gestured towards Mr Singh and started following him towards Tib Street.
Realising that he was being followed, Mr Singh tried to get away. However, Campos sped up and punched him twice to the side of the face. While grabbing the back of Mr Singh’s shirt, Campos then punched him for a third time, knocking him to the ground.
And just moments after the attack, as Mr Singh was left lying helpless in a pool of his own blood in the middle of the road, the court was told that Campos re-joined his girlfriend, before heading to Ancoats bar Second City, where card transactions showed he bought a burger and a beer.
The now-unblurred CCTV footage, shared by Greater Manchester Police, Campos can be seen walking over to Mr Singh before attacking him in the street. As Mr Singh is seen attempting to run away, Campos then throws another punch, knocking him to the ground. Immediately after, Campos stands back up and strolls away, only glancing back once as he turns the corner.
When he was questioned, Campos told police that the couple had been celebrating their fifth anniversary and his girlfriend complained that Mr Singh had ‘touched her bottom’. Campos said that he followed Mr Singh and that when he tried to get away, he believed this was an admission of guilt.
Jailing Campos for three years after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, Judge Hilary Manley commented on the attack, in 'broad daylight in the busy streets of this city centre'. She said his 'shattered and broken family' had described him as a 'humble, gentle and peaceable man' who 'regularly carried selfless acts of charity for those in need'.
"You left him, clearly seriously injured, lying in the middle of the street. As far as his family are concerned, and given what you later told the police, you left him for dead. He is still alive, but his life bears no resemblance to what it was," she added.
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:
- 'You don't go from sitting in a pub to being shot dead by police in 10 minutes': Heartbroken family of Manchester-born man, 24, desperate for answers
- Mum arrested at roadside after drinking bottles of wine when her car broke down walks free from court
- David Platt accused of punching taxi driver in racially motivated attack tells court he saw him masturbating
- Baby-faced boy tried to become gang boss after years terrorising community but was stabbed 27 times
- Andy Burnham demands Avanti trains ultimatum after passengers hit by months of chaos
