A vicious thug who was involved in two drink- fuelled attacks in a Suffolk town has been locked up for 23 months.

Shaun Thorpe kicked and stamped on one man until he lost consciousness and in a separate incident which was captured on CCTV, he picked up a man and threw him across the road, causing him to gash his head on the ground, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The first victim, Sean Dennison, told police he thought he was going to die in the attack and paramedics who treated Jason Brown, who was injured in the second attack four months later, initially feared he had life-threatening injuries, said Rupert Myers, prosecuting.

Thorpe, 20, of St Andrew’s Street, Mildenhall, admitted assaulting Mr Dennison causing him actual bodily harm on July 3 and assault causing actual bodily harm on Michael McGiff, who was attacked after he tried to help Mr Brown.

Thorpe also admitted unlawfully wounding Mr Brown on November 21 and two offences of assault by beating on Mr Brown’s friends, Trevor Woollard and Mark Jones.

Jailing him for 23 months, Recorder Sandeep Kainth described the attacks as “drink fuelled” and “very nasty”.

Mr Myers said Thorpe had seen Mr Dennison in the White Hart pub in Mildenhall and had “taken the mickey” out of him. Later Mr Dennison was approached by four men including Thorpe and punched in the face and then kicked and stamped on while he was on the ground. He was left with a black eye and grazes.

Micheal McGiff tried to intervene but was chased and was kicked three or four times after tripping over.

In November Thorpe had attacked Mr Brown and his two friends in Mildenhall as they walked home at night. After throwing Mr Brown across the road causing a gash to his head Thorpe had pushed Mr Woollard into a shop window which, fortunately hadn’t broken.

Steven Dyble, for Thorpe, said his client couldn’t control his temper when he had been drinking.