THIS is the moment two thugs beat up two men while on a night out in Colchester town centre.

Zak Farmer and William Atkins attacked the pair when rival groups met in Head Street, Colchester.

One of the victims suffered a bleed on his brain.

The violent dashcam footage was captured by a taxi driver, who had been called to the area for a fare.

It shows the pair, both 20, knocking out both men before Farmer kicks and punches one of the victims even though he is out cold on the footpath.

Speaking exclusively to the Gazette, the driver said: “It was brutal.

“As I arrived I immediately went to the chap who was knocked out first.

“I put him in the recovery position and when I knew he was comfortable, I went to the other guy and put him in the recovery position as well.

"Atkins actually came back and pretended he didn’t know what had happened.

“He was going off on one, saying: ‘What’s happened here? Who’s done this?’ as if he didn’t know.

“Then a friend came back and grabbed him and said: ‘We have got to go now’.”

The driver, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “By then the first guy was so limp, he had actually rolled out of the recovery position.”

He then claims to have unsuccessfully asked for help from security staff

He added: “The funny thing was it was actually the Military Police and the ambulance who arrived on the scene.

“I suppose, it being the time of the day, Essex Police would have been really stretched.”

The driver then picked up a passenger and took them to Straight Road, in Lexden.

When he arrived back in Head Street, he said one of the victims was still being treated by medics.

The taxi driver left all his details with Military Police officers but claims they were not passed onto their Essex Police counterparts.

Detectives were only made aware of his footage when he arrived at Colchester police station the next morning to make sure his details had been passed on.

Farmer, of Howard Close, Colchester, and Atkins, of Langham Drive, in Clacton, have been remanded into custody after admitting assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

They will be sentenced next month.

Farmer is in breach of two suspended sentences, for burglary and theft, while Atkins, is in breach of four suspended sentences, including for criminal damage, wounding and battery.

The incident took place in the early hours of September 11.