An 18-year-old man has been jailed after he left a taxi driver fighting for his life in a Derby street last November.
Keenan Carter, 18, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment at Derby Crown Court on Friday 8 November.
Carter pleaded guilty to assault occasioning grievous bodily harm (GBH) on 16 October.
Two teenaged boys aged 16 and 17 also pleaded guilty to affray on the same date.
Those under the aged of 18 are ordinarily granted anonymity during the legal process, however, Ki Grant-Finlayson, 16, of Addison Road and Alizsha Diaz, 17, of Abingdon Street, both in Allenton, can be named due to the court lifting a reporting restriction.
Diaz and Grant-Finlayson were each handed a three-year youth referral order. Carter also admitted an unrelated offence of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
Officers were called to The Morledge in Derby city centre in the early hours of 25 November 2018 after receiving reports that a man was injured.
The man, taxi driver Faisal Raja, was set upon by the three teenagers during a fight outside a takeaway.
All three punched and kicked him repeatedly before Carter knocked him unconscious by punching him in the face.
Mr Raja fell to the ground and cracked his head on the pavement. He then spent the next 16 days in a coma and a total of four months in hospital, missing the birth of his daughter.
Detective Constable Andy Hardy, officer in the case said: “This has been a complex and protracted investigation and I would like to thank the victim and his family for their support throughout.
“I’d also like to thank the businesses of Derby city centre who allowed us access to their CCTV systems. Officers watched over 300 hours of footage to try and identify the offenders and, without the help of local businesses this would have not been possible.
“The impact this assault had on the victim’s life cannot be underestimated. He remained in hospital in a critical condition for many weeks and since returning home still continues to recover from his injuries: both physical and psychological.
“He missed the birth of his child, due to being hospitalised following this incident. He has had to give up work and bears the mental scars and trauma of what happened to him whilst he was doing his job on that November night.
“The actions of Carter, Grant-Finlayson and Diaz can only be described as mindless violence. They did not think of the impact their behaviour would have, and spared no thought for the lives of the victim and his family. I can only hope they will now take time to reflect on what they did.
“I also hope that this sentence will help the victim to draw a line in the sand, and move forward with a focus on his family and rebuilding his life.”
Image of Keenan Carter: Derbyshire Constabulary
