Ashraf Rossli Attackers Jailed

The Malaysian student who was the victim of one of the most shocking videos to come out of the London riots last year has hit the headlines again this week, after his attackers were sentenced to prison.

In August 2011, twenty-year-old Ashraf Rossli was caught up in the riots in Barking, East London. He was punched to the floor, suffering a broken jaw in the process, before apparently being helped to his feet by one of the rioters. However, as he was standing groggily, another man opened up his rucksack and helped himself to Ashraf's mobile phone and PSP games console.

Attackers Sentenced

The two assailants who rifled through Ashraf's bag were found to be John Kafunda, 22, and Reece Donovan, 24. Both were convicted of robbery last week, before being sentenced this morning. Kafunda was jailed for four years and three months, whilst Donovan received a five-year sentence. Ashraf gave evidence in court, describing:

"I was sat on the pavement with blood pouring from my mouth. I remember being approached by a male who asked if I was OK. I remember being pulled to my feet, then I felt someone again tugging at my rucksack. I was not in a position to defend myself and was still suffering from the effects of being hit. Once they had taken what they wanted they left."

Last week, Beau Isagba, who broke Ashraf's jaw and stole his bike, was sentenced to seven years at a young offender institution for grievous bodily harm and robbery. The judge particularly condemned his actions, saying:

"This sentence will, I hope, make other like-minded people think before they behave in a similar way to you, and also reassure the public and visitors to our country that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated...On the 8th of August you behaved like a thug, and without any compassion. You picked on him, despite the fact that others had already left him alone as he came through the crowd."

You can see the shocking video of the attack below:

Despite his ordeal, Ashraf has always maintained that he forgives his attackers and has never been angry at them. After the sentences, he spoke to the media:

"I believe in the British judicial system and respect the sentences meted out. I don't bear any grudges on my attackers and wish them well. I would like to thank the police, judicial system and public for all the support they have given and shown. I now want to put the incident behind me and concentrate on my studies."

The Story of the Attack

The attack first made the headlines after it was captured on CCTV and in just 24-hours it was viewed over a million times on YouTube. In the days after the incident, Ashraf gained widespread support throughout Britain, as people lined up to condemn his attackers. Here at ForeignStudents.com, we started a campaign to show our backing, asking for messages of support from the public. The response was overwhelming, as we received hundreds of messages in the first few days. The finished video can be seen below.

Share with friends