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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Indian Lt-Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar attackers jailed | Indian Lt-Gen Kuldeep Singh Brar attackers jailed |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A Sikh gang convicted of slashing a retired Indian general's throat in revenge for a 1984 military offensive has been jailed. | |
| Lieutenant-General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, was attacked as he walked with his wife in central London in 2012. | Lieutenant-General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, was attacked as he walked with his wife in central London in 2012. |
| Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 34, of Birmingham, Dilbag Singh, 37, and Harjit Kaur, 39, both from London, were convicted of wounding with intent. | Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 34, of Birmingham, Dilbag Singh, 37, and Harjit Kaur, 39, both from London, were convicted of wounding with intent. |
| Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, of Wolverhampton, had admitted the charge. | Barjinder Singh Sangha, 33, of Wolverhampton, had admitted the charge. |
| The retired general and his wife, Meena, were heading for a night out in the West End when the attack happened on 30 September 2012, Southwark Crown Court heard. | The retired general and his wife, Meena, were heading for a night out in the West End when the attack happened on 30 September 2012, Southwark Crown Court heard. |
| 500 dead | |
| Lt Gen Brar was involved in Operation Blue Star against Sikh separatists in Amritsar, north-west India, in June 1984. | |
| It left at least 500 people dead and made him the target of anger and revenge attacks. | |
| A group of protesters demonstrated outside the court calling for the retired military officer to be indicted as a war criminal for his part in the operation at the Golden Temple. | |
| BBC London's Alex Bushill said the group, about a 100-strong at its height, said they do not condone the actions of the attackers but they were protesting about Lt Gen Brar. | |
| The demonstrators were from London, Coventry, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. | |
| Sentencing the four attackers Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC said: "This was a group attack by young men on a 78-year-old man." | |
| The victim "resolutely fought back" and prevented an even more serious harm. | |
| 'Drew a knife' | |
| Commenting on the role of Kaur the judge said she enabled the "ambush" to take place "swiftly and effectively". | |
| Kaur followed the victim and his wife on the day of the attack, keeping her accomplices informed of the target's movements, who were in waiting. | Kaur followed the victim and his wife on the day of the attack, keeping her accomplices informed of the target's movements, who were in waiting. |
| When the couple reached Old Quebec Street, Sangha "drew a knife as the other men held the victim", the jury were told. | When the couple reached Old Quebec Street, Sangha "drew a knife as the other men held the victim", the jury were told. |
| He was left with a 12-inch cut running across his neck and jaw and another three-inch cut to the jaw. | He was left with a 12-inch cut running across his neck and jaw and another three-inch cut to the jaw. |
| His protection ranking was raised to the highest possible following the attack. | His protection ranking was raised to the highest possible following the attack. |
| Following the sentencing, Commander Richard Walton, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "This was a pre-planned and organised attempt to assassinate General Brar for his military involvement in the siege of the Golden Temple in India in 1984." | |
| Mandeep Singh Sandhu and Dilbag Singh were sentenced to 14 years, Harjit Kaur was jailed for 11 years while Barjinder Singh Sangha received a sentence of 10 years and six months. |