A vicious thug from Wembley who led a brutal attack on a man he knew had suffered brain damage in a previous assault has had his jail term cut on appeal.

Christopher Phillip King, 26, of Clarendon Gardens, was the ringleader of a gang which set upon the vulnerable victim in Wembley, leaving his jaw broken in two places.He was jailed for 11 years and two months at Harrow Crown Court in March after he admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and breaching a suspended sentence.

The court heard King knew the man and knew he was disabled as a result of being injured in a previous attack.

King has a number of previous convictions for violent offences and was handed a suspended sentence for an attack on a shopkeeper he knew when he carried out the vicious assault.

Today his jail term was slashed to 10 years by judges sitting at London’s Criminal Appeal Court.

While the attack was serious, they said it was not the worst of its kind and his original sentence was ‘excessive’.

His lawyers argued his jail term was over the top, saying the crown court judge was wrong to dismiss his plea that he did not know the victim was disabled.

Mr Justice Wilkie said the judge was ‘entitled’ to reject that claim, in light of the fact there was evidence to suggest he knew the victim and was aware of his vulnerability.

But, allowing the appeal, he said that although the victim’s injuries were severe, it was not the worst attack of its kind and the sentence should be reduced.

Sitting with Lord Justice Elias and Mrs Justice Cox, he added: “In our judgment, the offence did not fall towards the top of the category within the sentencing guidelines.”

Related link: Wembley thug jailed for robbing and attacking a brain-damaged man