Man jailed for six years for stamping on victim's face during '˜savage' beating in Portsmouth city centre

Shocking CCTV played at Portsmouth Crown Court showed how Nicholas Holley repeatedly kicked and stamped on the man’s head and face.

A good Samaritan, who was congratulated by a judge for intervening and stopping Holley’s attack, was punched by Adam Lee, 27, who was with Holley.

Both men have been jailed for their parts in the attacks, while a third man, Russell Allen, is on the run under a court warrant.

The footage showed how the victim, who had been out walking for health reasons, was knocked to the ground from behind in an alleyway between Highbury College’s The Chimes restaurant and the crown court in Winston Churchill Avenue in the early hours of October 15 last year.

Prosecutor Simon Foster, who branded the assault ‘savage’, said the victim told police he ‘met a male with a dog’ – thought to be Allen – before being knocked down from behind.

Heavily-convicted Holley, 32, of no fixed address, launched a savage attack on the ‘utterly defenceless’ man who had been knocked down by Allen, who was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent but failed to turn up at court hearings.

The victim suffered a suspected rib fracture, bruised right eye, a fractured eye socket, and swelling to his jaw.

Jailing Holley for six years, judge William Ashworth said: ‘Mr Holley you repeatedly kicked him to the head and stamped on his head.

‘By my count you kicked him once to the face, you stamped on his head three times and kicked him twice on the back.

‘Viewing the footage it’s an utterly repugnant and gratuitous pleasure you seem to take in repeatedly kicking this gentleman in the face and head.’

Edward Hollingsworth, for Holley, said his client has schizophrenia, depression and anxiety and had not taken his medication at the time of the attack.

The court heard Holley has 46 convictions for 115 offences, while Lee has 11 convictions for 21 offences.

Judge Ashworth, who said the attack was ‘senseless’, gave the defendant a third off his sentence as Holley admitted GBH with intent.

The judge added: ‘He is walking along properly minding his own business when he is knocked to the ground by what would appear to be Mr Allen - he having been charged is now on warrant and has not yet been arrested.

‘He’s knocked to the ground and kicked to the head and is utterly defenceless.’

CCTV showed how passers-by tried to intervene, with a second man attacked by homeless Lee, who had been with Holley and Allen.

Footage showed the man thought to be Allen standing over the victim and kicking him.

Judge Ashworth added the good Samaritan, who suffered a split lip, ‘should be congratulated and noted for stopping (Holley)’.

Addressing Lee, who admitted assault by beating, the judge said: ‘This is a male who’s trying to stop a man being kicked to pieces on the ground - you punch him.’

Jailing Lee, who is a serving prisoner, for four months consecutive to his current sentence, the judge added: ‘You punched a man trying to save someone on the ground. Punching a good Samaritan is what you did.’

Allen, 30, whose last known address was at the homeless bus at St Agatha’s Church had not been found by the time of the sentencing last month.

He was arrested by police after the attack and seen on CCTV wearing camouflage trousers and having a dog with him.

Lee was not involved in the attack on the first victim.