Gang who attacked pensioner have appeal thrown out
Members of a five-strong gang jailed for attacking a retired Indian general as he strolled through London with his wife have failed to persuade judges their sentences were too harsh.
Lieutenant-General Kuldeep Singh Brar, 78, was targeted by the gang in revenge for his role in the 1984 Indian military strike on the Golden Temple, in Amritsar - one of the holiest shrines for Sikhs.
Lt-Gen Brar was involved in Operation Blue Star against Sikh separatists, who the Indian authorities said were sheltering inside the temple.
His attackers had vowed to get revenge, even though most of them were only infants at the time of the Golden Temple clash, London's Appeal Court heard.
And their chance came when Lt-Gen Brar visited London with his wife, said Mr Justice Dingemans, having left his habitual security guards behind in India.
The five jailed over the attack were Mandeep Singh Sandhu, 36, of Green Lane, Great Barr; Dilbag Singh, 38, of no known address; Harjit Kaur, 40, of Hayes, Middlesex; Barjinder Singh Sangha, of Wolverhampton; and Lakhbir Singh, 27, of Crockets Lane, Smethwick.
All five were jailed for wounding with intent - with the majority of the gang being sentenced at London's Southwark Crown Court in December last year.
Sandhu and Dilbag Singh were each handed 14-year terms, Harjit Kaur received 11 years, Sangha got 10-and a-half years and Lakhbir Singh received 10 years.
All save Sangha took their cases to the Appeal Court challenging their sentences this week.
Mr Justice Dingemans told how Lt-Gen Brar was attacked by the gang while he and his wife strolled through a street in Marylebone, north London.
In the hours before the ambush, Harjit Kaur had tailed the Brars around the capital - keeping her accomplices up to speed with their movements.
And when the couple reached Old Quebec Street the general was attacked, suffering severe neck wounds after Sangha slashed at him with a knife.
The court heard how the pensioner desperately fought back and managed to beat off his attackers, escaping with a 12-inch gash running from neck to jaw.
He said later that the attack left him with long-term 'anxiety', while his wife had been 'devastated'.
Mr Justice Dingemans, sitting with the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Thomas, and Mr Justice Sweeney, said the gang were guilty of a 'very grave offence' committed in a public place.
Dismissing the appeals, the judge concluded: "This was a high-profile and well-organised attack.
"We are not persuaded that the sentences imposed were excessive."
