TWO thugs who had racked up a combined 33 months of suspended prison sentences when they brutally beat up two men have been jailed.

Zak Farmer and William Atkins, both 20, were sent to prison after the assaults in Head Street, Colchester.

The pair were walking with two other men outside Missoula shortly after 3am when Atkins elbowed one of the men and knocked him out.

When the victim’s friend attempted to defend his pal, he was also knocked out by Atkins with a single punch.

While the defenceless second victim was unconscious on the ground in front of a gathering crowd, Farmer punched and kicked him in the head. That victim sustained a bleed on the brain which required three days of hospital treatment.

After the shocking assaults, which were caught on CCTV and on a taxi driver’s dashcam, Chelmsford Crown Court heard Atkins screamed the words: “That’ll teach them. Who’s laughing now?”

Gazette:

After watching the CCTV footage, Judge David Turner QC heard Atkins had six convictions for 15 offences and had accumulated 27 months in suspended jail sentences, including for battery, unlawful wounding, criminal damage, threatening and abusive behaviour, theft and burglary.

The judge was also told Farmer had seven convictions for 13 offences which included battery, resisting arrest and threatening and abusive behaviour. He also had a caution for a common assault.

Gazette:

Farmer, of Howard Close, Braintree, previously admitted one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on September 11 while Atkins, of Langham Drive, Clacton, admitted two counts of ABH. Both men also admitted breaching their previous suspended sentences.

Jailing Atkins for three years in total and Farmer for 18 months, Judge Turner said: “As I suspect both of you will accept, there comes a point when the court faces a situation such as this where it has to say enough is enough.

Gazette:

“The reality is when you both exerted the violence you did on September 11 at 3am in the morning in Colchester against an entirely innocent person you were each in breach of a series of suspended sentences, some of which were given alarmingly close to that date.

“You, Mr Atkins, had been at this court for a serious offence of violence on August 8 - one month before this conduct which brings you before the court yet again.

“You, Mr Farmer, had been before the court on August 2 - no time at all before the behaviour which brings you here today.”

“Mr Atkins, you elbowed your victim with such viciousness that he was simply prostrate on the pavement and caused him to lose consciousness - the force of that blow defies belief.”

The pair, sentenced on Friday, will serve half their sentences in prison before being released on licence.