A cabbie found guilty of attacking another taxi driver, causing permanent damage to his right eye, is to appeal against his conviction.

Robert Trew, 57, of Bridge View Lane, Sandys, denied unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm to grandfather Williston Trott, 67, of Hamilton Parish, when he appeared at Magistrates? Court.

Senior Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo found him guilty of the charge but concluded that he had been provoked. He said that of the two blows Trew delivered to Mr. Trott on February 3, 2005, the second was excessive.

The plastic surgeon who carried out surgery on Mr. Trott after the attack said there was a chance he could eventually go blind as a result of his injuries.

Dr. Christopher Johnson, in a letter outlining the treatment he gave, wrote: ?Mr. Trott?s injury was the result of a powerful blow to the head.

?Mr. Trott, as a result of this injury, is more likely to be at increased risk for cataract formation, retinal detachment or permanent injury to the optic nerve, which could progress to blindness.

?He is at increased risk for development of double vision, right eye chronic irritation and dryness. I suspect there will be permanent impairment to the vision.?

He added: ?The quality of Mr. Trott?s life will be irrevocably negatively impacted by this devastating injury. The loss of sensation to the face and teeth is very likely permanent.

?The appearance of the face and eye will never return to its pre-injury state.?

Mr. Trott criticised the sentence ? a $2,000 fine ? given to Trew in March this year.

The father-of-five, who did not work for six months after the assault, told he suffered double vision, still had problems with his eye and had forked out thousands of dollars in medical bills.

He said he was not happy that Trew ?just got a fine?.

?There is something wrong there. He should have got a sentence in jail. I lost vision. I had double vision. I was out of work.

?I lost a lot of money because I work for myself. The fact is he got off light to the injuries I got. I almost lost my eyesight. I have still got to go and have treatment.?

Mr. Trott could not say exactly how much he had spent on treatment. He plans to apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.

?I just feel that he didn?t get the sentence he should have or that he was dealt with in the proper manner,? said Mr. Trott. ?A serious assault should mean a serious sentence.? Trew told he was appealing the conviction.