Dramatic footage shows three men surrounding the alleged acid attacker and kicking him, before one pours a pint of milk on him as he rolls around on the floor near Maryland station in Stratford, East London.
The shocking incident was captured by a witness, who said that: "I saw someone on a bike wearing a mask go up to a guy (who the witness believed was Polish) coming out of the shop and say 'Boss, give me some change'.
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"The guy politely declined and then he said 'at least let me take a drink' and then the Polish guy told him to go away.
"He then got off the bike and went straight for his pocket, pulled out a bottle (which the mob believes to be a corrosive acid) and started throwing the substance inside towards the Polish guy's direction.
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"The Polish guy ended up taking it and throwing it away.
"Then the Polish guy and his pals started beating him up.
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"He got beaten up and other locals started pulling them away.
"The person getting beaten up lives on the streets. He was also wearing a mask to intimidate people.
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"He got up but was wobbling everywhere and genuinely had no eye sight for a good minute.
"He ... went in his pocket and took a knife out, jumped on his bike and rode off."
LONDON (AP) — German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.
Becker fell far short of repaying his creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) he owed, but Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs said it would be “perverse” not to end the case given the efforts Becker made.
“On the spectrum of bankrupts who range from ‘difficult as possible and doing everything to frustrate the trustee’s inquiries’ to ‘co-operative, providing information and delivering up assets’, Mr. Becker clearly falls on the right side of the line," Briggs wrote.
Becker, 56, was deported to Germany two years ago after serving 8 months in a London prison for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding 2.5 million pounds ($3.1 million) in assets after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
He had been convicted in a London court on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate. He was acquitted of 25 other charges, including nine counts of failing to hand over Grand Slam trophies and his Olympic gold medal to bankruptcy trustees.
He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.
Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title. He went on to become the world No. 1 player, winning two titles at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open and one at the U.S. Open.
He retired from professional tennis in 1999 and worked as a coach, television commentator, investor and celebrity poker player.
Becker blamed laziness and bad advice for his financial problems that led him to declare bankruptcy after owing creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) over an unpaid loan of more than 3 million pounds ($3.75 million) on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Attorney Katie Longstaff said at a High Court hearing last month that the joint trustees did not oppose his effort to end the case but did not support it because he still owed about 42 million pounds ($52.5 million).
Becker's lawyer, Louis Doyle, said the two sides had reached a settlement that includes a “substantial sum” the tennis great must pay. The agreement “includes the outstanding trophies,” Doyle said, adding Becker “can’t do more than he has done to bring us to this point."
Becker's age has been corrected to 56, not 57.
FILE - Former tennis player Boris Becker arrives at Southwark Crown Court, in London, Friday, April 8, 2022. German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors nearly 50 million pounds. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)
