A man who slashed a bus passenger’s face after he refused to buy his cocaine has been jailed for 17 years.

Shahadat Hussain, 21, of Malmesbury Terrace, Canning Town was found guilty of grievous bodily harm and possession with intention to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how in March 2015 he approached a group of 18-year-olds on the top deck of 25 bus at around 1.40am to offer them drugs.

The friends had been discussing the soft drink Coke, which Hussain had misunderstood to mean cocaine.

When he was told they did not wish to buy drugs, however, he grabbed one of the men by the neck.

A friend of the victim then intervened, at which point Hussain also attacked him by repeatedly punching and slashing him in the face.

The group managed to get off the bus and escape along the Romford Road before one of the victims was taken to Whipps Cross hospital to receive 12 stitches on the nose.

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Hindmarsh, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said:

“This was a vicious, unprovoked attack on a man who refused to buy drugs from Hussain, leaving the victim with nasty injuries as a result.

“This sentence sends a strong message that crime on London’s transport network will not be tolerated.”

Officers from the Roads and Transport Policing Command, in partnership with Transport for London, then launched an investigation that led to Hussain being identified and arrested on 1 April on suspicion of GBH.

He was found in possession of a large amount of crack cocaine and heroin and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Steve Burton, TfL’s Director of Enforcement and On-Street Operations, said:

“We work closely with our policing partners to ensure that all crime on our network is fully investigated and bring perpetrators to justice.

“Our thorough investigation led to the identification of this callous attacker and seeing him sentenced today sends a strong message that crime will not be tolerated on public transport.

“Our customers have the right to travel in confidence and we will continue to work hard to drive down levels of crime, which have fallen for each of the last nine years.”

Hussain was given 17 years imprisonment for GBH with intent, 46 months for possession with intention to supply crack cocaine, 46 months for possession with intent to supply heroin and seven days for possession of cannabis (the latter three to run concurrently).