He was one of the world's most ruthless tyrants who waged a brutal war of fear, kidnap and torture on countless innocent Afghans.

But warlord Faryadi Sarwar Zardad, 42 never expected that he would make world history as the first man to be tried and jailed for crimes against humanity committed in another country, against people of that country.

Or that one of his long-suffering victims would summon up the courage to stand - not once, but twice - in the witness box at the Old Bailey to help send him to prison for life.

But that is exactly what three times torture survivor, Abdul Ghafoor, 32, did.

While 14 other witnesses in the five-week trial were granted anonymity, giving evidence via satellite link from the UK embassy in Kabul, Abdul, travelled to London and gave his evidence to the court, in person and alone.

Here Abdul explains to The Citizen why nothing - not even the concern of family and friends - could have stopped him going face-to-face with the man who had inflicted so much pain and wrong-doing on him and his countrymen.

"When Zardad's first trial collapsed I could not believe it," says Abdul, who is currently waiting for the outcome of an asylum appeal next month.

"I was bitterly disappointed with the jury's failed verdict.

"It had taken me a long time to work up the courage to go and stand before him.

"This is a man who had taken pleasure in having me, a young man, tortured and humiliated over nothing. I'd witnessed him watch as old men were whipped with cables and women were abused by the roadside.

"It was too much to bear and I was very angry by the time the second trial was announced.

"My friends had begged me not to go again because it was too dangerous and they thought I had done enough by speaking to police in the first place.

"But in the end I came to the conclusion that the Zardad that Afghans knew was a much less powerful person than the Zardad the British justice system knew.

"I've lived in British for the last six years and this is a place where people have the right to dignity, respect and freedom of speech.

"I may not be a full citizen of this country yet but these rights have been extended to me and I hold them in high regard.

"It would have been a mockery of the British way of life to stand by and let a man like Zardad terrorise me on my own doorstep."

Standing in the witness box in London last month, Abdul recounted how he was a 19-year-old student travelling home from university in Pakistan when he was first captured by Zardad and his torturers on a stretch of the Khyber Pass controlled by the gang.

After suspecting the young man of belonging to a tribe who were not sympathetic to Zardad's ally - the then Prime Minister of Afghanistan, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar - Zardad ordered his 'soldiers' to beat him.

Unable to defend himself, Abdul was kicked, punched, stamped on, tortured with bicycle cables and beaten with sticks until Zardad gave the order to stop.

Abdul also cheated death at the hands of Zardad on two other occasions and witnessed several other attacks on innocent civilians.

But - along with the ordeal of giving evidence - Abdul had to contend with being in the same room with his sadistic torturer.

"The first time I came face-to-face with Zardad, I froze," remembers Abdul.

"He was looking directly at me from behind a glass panel as I walked into the courtroom.

"From first appearances he looked much different from the last time I'd seen him.

"His hair and beard were a lot shorter, he was wearing western clothes and he was thinner.

"But I recognised him from his eyes. Looking into them was just like looking into the eyes of an animal.

"When the judge asked me to speak I couldn't stop shaking.

"In the end I composed myself and concentrated on looking at the jury, the judge, the floor, anything but him."

Zardad was finally found guilty of conspiracy to torture and conspiracy to take hostages on Tuesday.

He is now set to spend at least 10 years in prison in the UK before being extradited, at the discretion of the Home Secretary, to face further charges in his homeland.

If sent back to Afghanistan, Zardad could suffer the same fate as his favourite weapon of torture - a half-savage "human dog" named Abdullah Shah who was used to maul Zardad's victims.

Shah was executed by the post-Taliban regime in 2002.

"I am pleased with the outcome of the latest trial," says Abdul.

"But I have to say that this is justice according to this country.

"If Zardad had stood trial in Afghanistan, he would have been put to death and a lot less money would have been spent in doing so.

"Also Zardad will now spend at least ten years in a comfortable English prison, living a standard of life way above that of the average Afghan. This is something that will confuse many people in my country.

"But it just shows the difference between our cultures. England and Afghanistan really are like different planets."