No jail for pair who attacked man in Southsea leaving him with brain injury and bleeding from his ear

Simon Doyle’s attackers left him covered in blood as he curled up in a foetal position terrified during their onslaught but did not go to prison as they have ‘learnt their lessons’.

Deividas Steponavicius, 27, and Edghras Rimkus, 25, ran downstairs from a party in a first floor flat at around 11.30pm in Elm Grove, Southsea, furious as another man had asked the women to go dancing.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard the attack was so vicious the man, who suffers nightmares from the July 21, 2018, attack was left with a ‘minor brain injury’ and was left bleeding from his ear.

Mr Doyle temporarily lost consciousness, had cuts to his hand, pain over his head and ear, and bruises to his torso and legs.

The defendants, and possibly Deividas’ 22-year-old brother Mantas Steponavicius, attacked the man after he fled and hid between two cars in St Andrews Road.

Sentencing, judge Timothy Mousley QC said: ‘He was so frightened he did what he could to hide. He hid between two parked cars.

‘He was violently assaulted and it was you Rimkus, as you admitted to the probation officer, who threw the first punch, and then he was kicked and punched behind as he crouched down between the cars and felt hard blows on his torso, arms, legs and head.

‘He said it was more than one guy who assaulted him. He curled up in a ball. In his evidence he said because of where the blows landed on him there must have been three, and no one was was able to kick with two feet at the same time.’

Security staff at a nearby pub - the incident happened near The Deco and One Eyed Dog, some 350 yards from the brothers’ flat - intervened and saw three men involved in the attack.

Neither defendants have previous convictions and are hard working, the court heard.

Judge Mousley said he did not send the pair to jail ‘primarily because I have to consider the prospect of rehabilitation’. He added: ‘It does seem to me that, as counsel have urged, that you have both learnt your lessons.’

Steponavicius, of Elm Grove, Southsea, was convicted of ABH after a trial last month. He was handed a 21-month jail term suspended for 18 months.

Rimkus, of Granada Road, Southsea, admitted ABH at a previous hearing and was given 14 months suspended for 18 months.

Both must complete 250 hours’ unpaid work. They must pay £750 compensation.

Mantas Steponavicius, of Elm Grove, Southsea, was not in the dock but the court heard he was 'probably' the third man involved in the attack. He was charged.

The court heard someone involved ‘escaped the jurisdiction’. All three men are Lithuanian nationals.