The jury which convicted Passos was told that Mr da Silva was "showered" with petrol from a mop bucket after property he was looking after for his attacker, including a Louis Vuitton handbag, could not be found.

After being set on fire, Mr da Silva made frantic but fruitless efforts to douse the flames in his shower, eventually running out of his flat to be assisted by local residents.

Jurors also heard that Passos bought £3 worth of petrol from a filling station before transferring it from a fuel can into the bucket in Mr da Silva's bathroom shortly before the attack.

Passos had sent a text message to a friend earlier in the evening, which read: "Prepare yourself to film a souvenir of before and after the start of the nightmare."

Speaking outside court, acting Detective Chief Inspector Samantha Ridding, of West Midlands Police, said Mr da Silva wished to thank staff at Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital.

Ms Ridding said: "I am quite sure that without them Ricardo would never have survived the horrific atatck that he was subjected to.

"He will need a considerable amount of future operations and probably care for the rest of his life."