Seven members of a Sri Lankan gang headed by a thug nicknamed "Psycho" are facing jail for a Samurai sword attack in Wembley.

Arulmurugan Sebamalai, 23, was left with his hand hanging from his wrist after being targeted by the "East Ham Gang" from east London.

Describing the attack in a statement to police, the victim said: "Psycho was armed with a samurai sword. The sword was around three feet long, silver coloured. It wasn't in a sheath.

"He was holding it in a raised position and running towards us. I got out the car and I had a bat in my hand.

"When he started cutting me repeatedly I tried to block it."

He and his friends, members of a Tamil gang known as DMX, were ambushed by up to 25 men led by 21-year-old Senthurrajah "Psycho" Thavapalasingham as they travelled to play cricket.

Armed with swords and pick-axe handles they singled out Mr Sebamalai and rained down a series of blows as gang members shouted: "Slash him, Psycho, kill him."

Mr Sebamalai lifted his arm to shield his face but the razor-sharp sword blade sliced through his arm and exposed the bone.

The attack took place on August 28, 2006, after the 25-strong "East Ham Gang", in five cars, tracked Mr Sebamalai to Braemar Avenue.

When they spotted him in a car with his friends they surrounded it and started throwing bottles at the white Suzuki Swift.

Ashokumar Tharmarajah, who was driving the car, stopped and the group got out, arming themselves with cricket bats and stumps.

Mr Thavapalasingham and fellow gang member Kirubananantharasa Gunaratnam, 32, got out of their green BMW and picked out two swords from the boot.

The victim's friends, Tharmarajah and Lynkaran Tharmalingam, saw him being slashed before the fight was eventually broken up by police.

Thavapalasingham later told a friend that he would have killed Mr Sebamalai if officers had not arrived, the court heard.

Seven gang members were convicted of a string of offences at the Old Bailey yesterday including Thavapalasingham, 21, and Gunaratnam.

Mr Sebamalai had identified them both as his attackers and a jury convicted them of attempted murder and violent disorder.

Thavapalasingham confessed that he was going to offer the victim's family £40,000 if they did not pick him out in an identity parade.

He was arrested at the scene while Gunaratam was arrested hiding in a nearby street.

Other members of the "East Ham Gang" were arrested after a police search of the area.

Sabesan Sivaneswaran, 19, a factory worker; jobless Santosh Panthaplavil Sasidharan, 24; Selvarajah Mayuran, 28, a salesman; Arumugan Paratheeban, 24, a student, and Edward Jaganathan, 26, a salesman, were also convicted of crimes of violence after a three-month trial.

Judge Richard Hawkins QC adjourned sentencing until July 18 to decide if the gang members are so dangerous they should be locked up indefinitely.