A FATHER-of-four says he continues to live in fear and pain after the man who nearly killed him has been jailed.

Sabir Hussain, 58, was close to death as he lay in a coma after the unprovoked stabbing in September. His family were told after a week that if he did not wake up that day, he would die.

"Luckily God gave me a second life," he said.

Asif Yaqub, 27, an illegal immigrant from Pakistan, stabbed Mr Hussain in front of his terrified daughter after Mr Hussain went to collect rent from Yaqub's brother, who was living legally in the Queens Road flat, Walthamstow.

Yaqub responded with a shower of curses and threats and followed Mr Hussain on to the street armed with two kitchen knives.

He stabbed the older man in the stomach and Mr Hussain collapsed.

Surgeons worked for three hours to remove parts of his bowel after the knife pierced his intestines.

Mr Hussain said: "It was the first time that happened to me and I've been in this country for 40 years. I've never had any problems here.

"I'm suffering now. I don't go out much and I don't drive because I feel a bit scared.

"After I came round I lost my memory for a while and now sometimes I'll put jewellery somewhere in my shop and forget where I have put it."

Mr Hussain suffers from pain in his stomach and back which keeps him awake at night and he often does not open his shop until midday.

He said it is painful to bend his back, sit down and even wear trousers, as they are too constricting.

He can no longer make jewellery, as it hurts too much to hammer the hot metal into place.

But he said he felt lucky to be alive.

"I've had a couple of robberies but if you lose gold, you can work hard to buy more. If you die, you can't replace your life."

Yaqub admitted two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent.

In November he slashed the throat of his former colleague, Prince Franklin Edekin, 29, after lying in wait for him outside Golders Green station.

The gash was 5mm away from severing Mr Edekin's voice box, carotid artery or jugular vein.

The Old Bailey heard that the two had fallen out and Yaqub lost his job when Edekin complained about him to his line manager.

Last Thursday Judge David Paget sentenced Yaqub to an indefinite jail term for public protection and recommended he serve a minimum of seven-and-a-half years and that he be deported on release.