TWO men who attacked a "defenseless" bar manager during a night out have been jailed after a judge ruled the assault was more violent than they had claimed.

Leon Skipiol, aged 20, of Charter Road, Cross Heath, and Ashleigh Grocott, also aged 20, of Meadow Lane, Cross Heath, were due to be sentenced on Thursday after admitting causing actual bodily harm to Glynn Ford on July 17 last year.

But prosecutors challenged their account of the attack, claiming it was more violent and sustained.

The challenge led to a two-day trial of issue in the case to establish precisely what each of the defendants had done to Mr Ford during the attack in Cheapside.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard that Mr Ford, aged 22, had been enjoying a night off from his management job at Yates's, in Ironmarket, Newcastle.

He had gone to several bars and had he met up with a colleague, Gemma Austin, aged 19, whom he had previously been on a date with.

He had offered to drive her home along with two other girls, and set off towards his car at about 3am.

But the group were followed by Skipiol, Grocott and another man, who has not been identified.

The court was told that Skipiol had also once been on a date with Miss Austin and had become jealous when he saw her kissing Mr Ford.

As the two groups reached the Ironmarket, Skipiol and Miss Austin argued and she slapped him.

Grocott was then said to have punched Mr Ford twice in the face before Skipiol joined in, landing a punch and a couple of kicks while Mr Ford lay on the ground.

The three attackers ran from the scene when a police van arrived, but Skipiol and Grocott were later arrested and charged.

Mr Ford told the court: "I remember three males following us and shouting. It was three against one.

"My first recollection was lying on the floor looking up at a police officer.

"I could not move my jaw or turn my head. The next day I went to see my GP who sent me straight to A&E where I had x-rays, but I didn't have any fractures."

Prosecutor Paul Spratt said Grocott had hit Mr Ford in the back of the head and that both defendants had kicked him repeatedly in the head and body while he lay on the ground.

Skipiol maintained he never aimed any kicks at the victim's head.

He said: "I saw Gemma kissing Glynn in Brassingtons.

"I got wound up by the situation and I kicked him a couple of times in the back. I did not kick him in the face."

But another witness, Amy Wiltshaw, said: "One of the lads ran up behind Glynn hitting him on the back of the head.

"They surrounded him and started punching him, pulled him to the ground and stamped on his head and all over his body."

Judge Simon Tonking concluded that the evidence showed Grocott had kicked Mr Ford's body, while Skipiol had delivered the kicks to his head.

Jailing Skipiol for 14 months and Grocott for 10 months, he told them: "You were both involved in an attack which involved the kicking of a man when he was lying defenceless on the ground .

"The offence is aggravated by the fact that it took place in the street at night, that it was witnessed by three women."