By Khushwant Singh

ONCE fiercely independent and a smart dresser, Mr Abdul Hamid Jabar, 69, is today practically unrecognisable. The former hawker is brain damaged and half-paralysed. He is unable to walk or talk, and is totally dependent on his younger sister and a maid to constantly look after him.

Instead of the smart long-sleeved shirts and well-ironed trousers he insisted on wearing although he worked as a part-time hawker assistant, he now dresses in baggy T-shirts and track pants.

The man who turned his life upside down was jailed 21/2 years yesterday for the vicious attack.