Lee Rigby revenge attacker may have targeted victim

Dr Sarandev Bhambra said there were no winners from the case

The victim of a racially-motivated revenge attack for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby believes his movements may have been tracked.

Dr Sarandev Bhambra, 25, was attacked with a machete by Zack Davies at a Tesco in Mold, Flintshire, in January.

Neo-Nazi Davies, 26, from Mold, has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 14 years for attempted murder.

Dr Bhambra questioned whether the "barbaric incident" could have been prevented and called Davies a coward.

"He attacked me from behind and tried to behead me," dentist Dr Bhambra said outside court.

"By the grace of God I remained conscious and was able to defend myself.

"It is abhorrent that he has claimed that he tried to kill me in Lee Rigby's honour. My thoughts and prayers go out to Lee Rigby and his family."

Dr Bhambra, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, added: "While Zack Davies has been convicted and sentenced for attempting to kill me, I am convinced the background behind the incident has not been explored fully.

"Was I targeted? Mold is a small market town. Davies may have been aware of my movements.

"By his own admission Davies was a man that harboured a real hatred for non-whites. He had a history of violence and always carried a knife.

"He was, by his own admission, known to the police. Could this attack have been prevented?"

Davies attacked Dr Bhambra in Tesco using a machete

The trial heard items associated with white supremacy and Nazism were found at Davies's home, including banners, swastika badges and stickers for the extreme rightwing racist group, Combat 18.

During the attack, he was heard to say "white power", leading Dr Bhambra to also question why Davies was not considered a "terrorist" given his political ideals.

After the guilty verdict was delivered in June, Dr Bhambra's brother, Dr Tarlochan Singh Bhambra, said he was "in no doubt" the case would have been reported as an "act of terror" had the "racial disposition of this case been reversed".

'No winners'

The victim also said he would be meeting Peter Fuller, who is being honoured for coming to his defence during the attack.

Since the attack, Dr Bhambra has undergone intense physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

"Incidents of this nature are avoidable and have no place in our multicultural society," he added.

"There are no winners here and true justice is never served. I am moving on with my life both emotionally and professionally in an attempt to catch up on time that has been robbed from me.

"I will never understand racial hatred. What possesses a man to have so much distain for another person? I would not wish this experience on anyone and I will endeavour to gain positively from this totally negative ordeal."

Davies told police he was a member of a far-right organisation, but acted alone at the supermarket

North Wales Police Det Ch Insp Alun Oldfield defended the force's actions, insisting that racist and extremist incidents are taken "very seriously".

He said: "Having consulted with a number of agencies, including the Crown Prosecution Service, a joint decision was made to charge Davies with racially aggravated attempted murder.

"Although Davies was known to the police before this incident, there was nothing to suggest he posed an immediate risk to the public."