THREE men who beat a Southampton computer enthusiast so viciously that he bled to death were today starting a total of 14 years behind bars.

James Robinson, Paul Stanton and Justin Byles showed no emotion as they were jailed for what a judge described as a particularly cowardly, sustained and inexcusable attack.

Winchester Crown Court heard how the trio had set upon Richard Hughes after accusing him of interfering with a little girl.

All three took part in the attack, in which the 29-year-old was punched repeatedly in the face, hit in the ribs and had a bottle smashed over his head.

Ordered to leave Southampton, the victim had staggered back to his Millbrook Road West flat, where he bled to death.

Ironically, Mr Hughes had a phobia of hospitals and failed to seek medical help - but six stitches could have saved his life.

Passing sentence yesterday, Mr Justice Toulson said: "Mr Hughes died as a result of an assault which was cowardly, unprovoked, sustained and vicious.''

The judge said the supposed indecent assault did not begin to excuse the violent way in which the three reacted, while Stanton and Byles had aggravated their crime by later visiting Mr Hughes' flat to ensure he had left town.

Robinson, 20, of Darwin Road, Shirley; Stanton, 22, of Varna Road, Portswood; and Byles, 26, of Irving Road, Maybush, had all denied murder, but admitted manslaughter on the eighth day of a trial.

Yesterday Stanton and Byles were sentenced to five years' imprisonment while Robinson received four years in a young offenders' institution.

After the hearing, Mr Hughes' mother Margaret, 63, of Horsham, and her daughter Alison strongly refuted claims that Richard had interfered with a child.