Peter Hyacienth, 28, of Underhill Road, SE22, was sentenced at Croydon Crown Court on Monday, 17 April, to eight years and one month imprisonment. He previously pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent.

A second man – Ras Barton, 27, of Perry Hill, SE6 – was sentenced to a community order ahead previously pleading guilty to assault by beating.

Police were called at 12:10am on 12 March 2022 to reports of a stabbing in the car park of the Fox on the Hill pub in Denmark Hill.

Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service and a man, aged in his 20s, was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being stabbed in the head with a knife.

Witnesses said the victim, who was enjoying a night out with friends, had been attacked by two men after he had made a comment about Barton’s erratic driving in the car park.

An investigation was launched and detectives carried out a number of urgent enquiries to identify those responsible.

They obtained data from the car park’s number plate recognition cameras and CCTV recordings, and examined social media and communications data, which resulted in the identification and arrest of the suspects.

The suspects had also stolen the victim’s phone and analysis of its movements showed it followed the route the suspect’s car had taken after the incident.

Detective Constable Shane Richardson, who carried out the investigation, said: “This was an extremely violent attack on a man who was enjoying a night out with his friends, and highlights the harm which knife crime can cause. He is still in the process of recovering from his injuries and the trauma of this incident and I hope this outcome brings him and his family some closure.

“The Met is committed to removing violent offenders from the streets of London and I am pleased this investigation resulted in the identification and apprehension of two violent men”.