A YOUNG thug has been locked up for five years for his role in a brutal gang attack that left a Basingstoke teenager with horrific injuries.

Sonny Pollock, 18, appeared at Winchester Crown Court for sentence on Friday just weeks after he was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Ben Dawe.

Pollock had denied this offence but had admitted a charge of affray.

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Towler said he accepted "compelling" evidence given during the trial that Pollock, from Bolton Crescent, South Ham, had been involved in the gang attack and was one of two people who had savagely beaten Mr Dawe with a wooden fence post.

Judge Towler told Pollock: "The effects of that attack have lasted for a very long time, and not just the physical effects."

During the attack ordeal, Mr Dawe, who was 19 at the time, suffered a seven-centimetre gash to his head, a broken skull, a fractured jaw and a blood clot on the brain - injuries so serious that doctors said he was lucky to have survived.

Pollock had admitted beginning an argument with Mr Dawe as the victim and his then girlfriend Ceandra Tarry walked home from Drake's Bar through an alleyway between Kings Road and Princes Crescent, South Ham, at around 1am on April 6 last year.

Pollock hit Mr Dawe in the face and joined several others in kicking him - but he denied taking part in the attack with the fence post.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Peter Asteris said the "horrific and unprovoked attack" has had a devastating effect on the victim and his family.

Referring to Mr Dawe, he said: "He was left in a constant state of limbo and worry. He had extreme difficulty sleeping, and missed the final exams in his apprenticeship as a vehicle mechanic. Despite taking anti-depressants, he would often start crying for no reason."

Mr Asteris added that the victim had suffered nightmares, flashbacks, headaches and panic attacks for many months after his ordeal.

Pollock's barrister Charles Cochand asked that credit be given to Pollock for his early guilty plea to affray and for making a statement on the morning of the start of his trial which increased his culpability. He added that Pollock had remained out of trouble and in work for the past 12 months.

Speaking in support of Pollock, his mother Kim Pollock told the judge he was a loving son who treated her with respect. Claire Bardell, the mother of Pollock's girlfriend and grandmother of his 14-week-old child, also described him as "polite and reliable - a good partner and father".

However, sentencing Pollock to five years in a young offenders institution for GBH with intent and a concurrent 18-month term for affray, Judge Towler told the teenager: "I have to sentence you for your involvement in a quite horrific incident."

He later added: "I recognise that you were then 16 and you may have changed for the better since, but the fact remains that this was a very serious matter."

Mr Dawe's mother Lyn Dawe, 43, was in court to hear the sentence handed down.

She subsequently told The Gazette: "This gives out the right message. I hope now we can just get on with our lives."

Investigating officer Detective Constable Darren Barrett, of Basingstoke CID, was also pleased with the sentence. He said: "The message is that gang culture and street violence will not be tolerated in the Basingstoke area and we will investigate any such occurrences vigorously."