A 19-year-old has been locked up for two random outbursts of 'thuggish, loutish and drunken' late-night violence in a town centre.

Linas Marcinkevicius appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for affray and wounding without intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

The court heard how Marcinkevicius was among a group of three males who randomly attacked Steven Brooks-Dowsett as he walked home alone through Colchester town centre at about 11.20pm on January 11 last year.

Mr Brooks-Dowsett attended court to explain the long-lasting impact of the attack – little of which he could recall – but which left him with multiple contusions, a broken ankle, concussion, and suffering the effects of PTSD.

He told the court the attack had affected him in "multiple and various ways", requiring physiotherapy, medication and counselling, and leading to loss of income and feelings of helplessness.

The attack was among several random acts of aggression aimed at passers-by that night and was followed by another episode of random violence in Colchester town centre on March 3 last year, when at least another four people were accosted while Marcinkevicius was under investigation for the previous attack.

The court heard that Marcinkevicius, of Winnock Road, Colchester, had previous convictions for violence and weapon possession as a youth.

Cathryn Sutcliffe, mitigating, said Marcinkevicius accepted his behaviour was appalling on both occasions and "very much regretted his actions".

"Since the incident, he has not been in trouble, has sought to modify his behaviour and has cut ties with people he was hanging around with at the time," she added.

Judge Rupert Overbury told Marcinkevicius that anything less than an immediate custodial sentence would "send out a message to other young men that you can go out, get drunk, beat people up and walk away from it without any punishment".

He said CCTV footage of the incidents showed a "drunken, loutish, thuggish" Marcinkevicius accosting members of the public for no other reason than his own amusement.

"You thought it was a laugh to push people around," added Judge Overbury.

Marcinkevicius had to be physically separated from embracing his weeping mother over the dock before going down to begin his sentence of three years and three months in youth custody,