Benjamin Hammond (25), Oliver Clark (24), and Luke Newman (27), repeatedly punched and kicked Marc Parkinson as he lay helpless on the ground outside a city centre takeaway, a court heard.

As a result of the harrowing attack lasting a few minutes, Mr Parkinson is now facing debts of tens of thousands of pounds and the possibility of losing his business and family home.

He also lives with the constant fear that his wife may walk out with his three and seven year old sons.

"My sons don't understand why anyone would want to hurt their daddy in this way, Mr Parkinson said in a statement read to Chichester Crown Court.

The trio had spent the night drinking in The Globe pub in Chichester before launching the unprovoked attack after a chance meeting with the company director and his friend at The Grill.

The attack left the keen golfer with a detached retina and scratch to the surface of his right eye, bruising and swelling to both eyelids, cut lip, forehead and eyebrow, perforated eardrum and bruising to his ribs.

He was rushed to St Richard's Hospital before being transferred to Worthing Hospital for emergency surgery to his eye.

It was during his four-day stay there that doctors delivered the devastating news that he would lose the sight in his right eye.

Prosecutor Susan Lumbard told the packed courtroom Mr Parkinson had spent the evening of June 9 drinking with his friend in the city centre before going to the takeaway opposite The Globe shortly after midnight.

It was inside that he met Clark accompanied by a woman.

"The suggestion is there was some verbal altercation between the friends and Clark concerning attention being paid to the female companion," Miss Lumbard said.

Mr Parkinson left the bar with his friend followed by Clark and the woman and it was outside that Clark joined by Hammond and Newman attacked him.

A witness described the assault as 'violent' and said it distressed her for days afterwards.

The trio were later charged with one count of grievous bodily harm (GBH) on Mr Parkinson after a blood-stained trainer matching Mr Parkinson's blood was found at Newman's home.

The attack left Mr Parkinson housebound for three weeks and off work for three months during which time his business suffered.

Debts of £40,000 racked up and his firm may now be wound up and his home sold to pay them off.

Miss Lumbard said he was suffering depression, anxiety, severe headaches and difficulties driving playing golf and with his children and carrying out everyday tasks like making a cup of tea.

Hammond's defence barrister said he was hardworking and passed two 'glowing' references for Judge Anthony Thorpe to consider.

The barristers for Clark and Newman both asked Mr Thorpe to consider the men's remorse and guilty pleas.

Mr Thorpe sentenced the trio to two years in jail.

* Full story in next week's Observer

BENJAMIN Hammond, of Canal Place, Chichester, Oliver Clark, of East Street, Chichester, and Luke Newman, of Winton Place, Worthing, pleaded guilty to one count of grievous bodily harm (GBH) on Marc Parkinson.

Judge Anthony Thorpe said: "Offences of serious violence in public places against anyone are so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence can be justified for them and require only custodial sentences.

"In this case it was a violent attack on one person which means he will almost certainly lost the sight of one eye.

"I have not the slightest doubt that late night drinking is at the root of this violence and I just wish those who argued that all night drinking would improve the criminal behaviour of young men and indeed often young women would come and see the results that judges see every day.

"Courts have a duty to make it clear that public drunken violence is not something that will be tolerated."



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