Shot in the stomach by nailgun thug

Asia Abasher had lived in London for 13 years before she fell victim to a racist attack. After fleeing government persecution in Sudan, she had built a new life in Westbourne Park and was working as a bus driver.

Then, her life was shattered when a motorcyclist drew up beside her bus in a traffic jam and shot her in the stomach with a nailgun. After firing the three-inch nail into her, the white attacker shouted: "I hate Somalian people" and sped off.

Mrs Abasher, 42, had surgery to remove the nail. Five months on, she is a changed woman. "Now I can barely bring myself to go out of the door," she said. "I cannot trust anybody on the street. I see everybody as a potential attacker, a potential racist."

She suffers flashbacks to the attack. "His eyes were so full of hate," she said. "He has not been caught. I still believe the vast majority of people in London are not at all racist but there are a small number who have a disproportionate effect.

"I thought talk of racism in London was all exaggerated. My eyes are open now."