Four Polish men have been given stiff prison sentences for attacking a UK academic at his London home.
The attack on 11 August 2014 left lecturer Paul Kohler with a fractured eye socket, a fractured jawbone and a broken nose, compelling him to have facial reconstruction surgery.
Judge Susan Tapping said it was not clear whether the culprits had been trying to carry out a burglary or whether they had arrived at the wrong address with the intention of collecting a debt.
Kohler's daughter, who was present at the family house in Wimbledon at the time of the raid, managed to call the police, together with her boyfriend.
The four men were all under the influence of narcotics and alcohol when apprehended.
Mariusz Tomaszewski, 32, and Pawel Honc, 24, have both been sentenced to 19 years behind bars for grievous bodily harm with intent and aggravated burglary.
The two other defendants, Oskar Pawlowicz, 30, and Dawid Tychon, 29, were given 13 years apiece.
All four men had criminal records in Poland, taking in 32 convictions between them.
Paul Kohler is head of the Law faculty as London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), a branch of the University of London. (nh)
Ewa Malcher
