Stabbed shopkeeper hits out at too soft prison sentences
Ashok Patel receiving his Islington community hero award. Pic by Dieter Perry - Credit: Archant
Heroic Ashok Patel, who was brutally stabbed in the head trying to defend himself from robbers, has slammed the jail terms given to his attackers.
Mr Patel suffered severe head injuries and had to be hospitalised after the attack on December 30 last year – but despite still suffering headaches and being unable to use his hand, he still runs Lena Stores in Ferntower Road, Newington Green.
Although the 64-year-old is glad to see the robbers behind bars, he feels their sentences were unduly lenient.
He said: “It should be longer. If it happened to me it could happen to other people. They tried to kill me and I am very lucky to be alive. I think they should have ben given more like 20 years, or even life. They are very dangerous. What they did could happen to anyone
“I do feel safer now they are off the streets, but I’m still not all right. My head aches and my hand isn’t working.
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“But my family is helping and people are in every day asking me what is going on.
“And I still come to work nearly every day. It’s so boring at home with nobody about.”
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After the attack, Mr Patel was inundated with well-wishing messages from people in the area.
He was also named one of Islington’s community heroes in the Mayor’s Civic Awards and was presented with the award by the Gazette and then mayor of Islington, Cllr Jilani Choudhury.
