A knife-wielding thug left his victim with a broken nose and cuts to his face after an "appalling" homophobic attack.
Alex Ogden, of no fixed address, has been jailed after the violent assault at an address in Islington on October 18, 2023.
Ogden attacked the victim, who was in his 50s, using a knife and subjected him to "appalling" homophobic abuse, the Metropolitan Police said.
The man was left with cuts to his face as well as a broken nose.
A manhunt was launched to find Ogden, 28, on November 1 last year after forensic evidence identified him as the suspect.
Police were tipped off about his whereabouts and he was arrested in Southwark on November 2.
Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Ogden had 39 previous convictions across the country, most in the north of England, mainly in Yorkshire and on trains.
He was sentenced to a total of 32 months in prison and a five-year restraining order was imposed on Ogden to protect the victim and he will be put on licence when he is released.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Ridley from Central North Public Protection Team said: “I am extremely proud of my officers who were able to secure the conviction against this violent man.
"Ogden has a prolific offending history, targeting multiple victims across the country. This offence was treated as a homophobic hate crime for the appalling comments used during the attack.
"I would urge any members of the public to come forward if they have also been subjected to hate crime.
“This conviction demonstrates the Met’s commitment to tackling hate crime in the LGBTQ+ community and the continued prosecution of people who seek to cause harm.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here