A man who was attacked with a machete on a packed Tube train has likened the ordeal to being chased by “the Terminator”.
Business consultant James Poritt, 42, was left with a severe injury to his head, deep bone cuts to his leg and a partially severed right hand following after being attacked by Ricky Morgan on July 9, 2021.
The 42-year-old victim is now unable to dress himself and has had to give up driving due to his injuries.
Morgan, 35, was found guilty of attempted murder in May and on Monday, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years at the Old Bailey.
Morgan boarded the Jubilee line train at Westminster and, near Green Park station, he “locked eyes” with Mr Poritt - who was on his way to meet his girlfriend and father for dinner in west London.
“He didn’t look human... it was utterly terrifying,” Mr Poritt told the Daily Mail.
The victim told the court that Morgan was “like the Terminator” and that he “seemed very focused and relentless and he was just hellbent on doing what he was doing”.
Footage shows crowds fleeing the Tube carriage as Morgan paces up and down with the machete, reportedly shouting “This is not a terror attack, I only want him” - in reference to Mr Poritt, who said the incident played out “like a horror film”.
Over 20 minutes, Morgan chased and lunged at the victim with the machete, slashing and stabbing him.
"It all happened so fast," Mr Poritt added. “He was hacking away through the flesh, the nerves, the tendon and the bone on the palm.”
Firearms officers caught up with assailant who eventually dropped the weapon and surrendered.
He told officers it was a “road issue” not a “terrorist issue” and, “if I had known it would cause this much drama, I would not have done it”.
Mr Porritt was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, where he underwent a 12-hour surgery and had a total of 140 stitches.
Morgan refused to give evidence during any of the proceedings but told a psychiatrist he had been carrying the machete and a lock-knife around for some time in his bag.
Judge John Hillen KC also factored in two counts of possessing blades into the sentence and said the ordeal was "every Tube traveller’s nightmare".
Morgan has a history of low-level violence dating back to the age of 13 with 26 previous convictions for 58 offences.
