AN ISLEWORTH man with a history of violence involving knives has been jailed for 18 years after severely injuring his disabled friend, while on bail for another stabbing.

Abdi Araye, 24, of Gibson Close, hid in a bush in Warley Road, Hayes, before ambushing Mohammed Hassan on June 23, repeatedly stabbing him in the back and kicking him while he was on the ground.

Mr Hassan, 24, was left lying in a pool of blood, and suffered a deep neck wound and a punctured lung.

The court heard that Mr Hassan, who lost mobility in his right side after a bout of meningitis as a child, still suffers from nightmares and panic attacks, and is scared to go outside on his own following the attack.

The pair had been friends, but in May last year Mr Hassan reported Araye to the police after he slashed Mr Hassan's car tyres.

Araye, angry the police had been called, confronted Mr Hassan with a knife but he ran away.

Araye then approached a mutual friend and slashed the man on the chest and arm. He was arrested and bailed, and a probation officer warned Araye felt no regrets nor empathy and would be likely to behave in the same way again, which he did.

Araye, who had no previous convictions, denied charges of attempted murder and witness intimidation, but was convicted after a trial in December.

At Harrow Crown Court on Monday (March 12), he was sentenced to 16 years in jail and classed as a dangerous offender by Judge Alan Greenwood.

He was also given 30 months for witness intimidation, and four months each for possession of an offensive weapon and ABH for the earlier offences. These terms are to run concurrently.

He will serve a minimum of eight years before being considered for parole.

Detective Constable Sean Robbie, of Uxbridge Police, said: "I would like to thank all the members of the public and the members of the Somalian community who were rightly appalled by this incident and assisted in the investigation."

A motive for the attacks were never established.