THREE men kicked a man on the ground in a vicious town centre assault.

The brutal attack on Martin Millward in Stoke town centre in the early hours of August 23 last year was captured on CCTV.

Prosecutor Paul Spratt told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court yesterday that Mr Millward had been in Harry's Bar, Stoke, socialising with the defendants Dean Beech, Nathan Dunn and Adam Murray.

But they left him there and some time after 2am he received a call from Dunn to meet him by the Post Office.

He went to speak to Dunn who, after a few minutes talking, started swinging punches to his face.

Mr Millward went to the ground and tried to protect himself from the onslaught of punches.

Beech and Murray joined in the attack. All three defendants kicked Mr Millward as he lay on the ground.

He was left with a footprint on the top of his forehead, cuts to his face and neck, grazed knees, and pains in his arms and back.

Two women tried to stop the assault and the three defendants ran off when police arrived.

Dunn ran up some stairs and on to a roof. He was aggressive and abusive to a police officer and threatened to hurt the police dog. But the dog took hold of him, injuring his hand and arm.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and Dunn also admitted using threatening or insulting words or behaviour.

The court was told all three defendants are carers for their mothers, who all have medical problems.

Anis Ali, mitigating for Dunn, aged 19, of Leawood Road, Trent Vale, conceded it was an unpleasant and unnecessary incident.

He said: "It was largely fuelled by emotion and the excessive consumption of alcohol. He is ashamed."

Arif Hussain, mitigating for Murray, aged 18, of Sylvan Grove, Trent Vale, said the teenager kicked the victim once and sending him to custody would punish his mother as he is her carer.

Stephen Oldham, mitigating for Beech, aged 21, of Woodland Road, Trent Vale, said his client has let himself and his family down.

Mr Oldham said: "He finds it very difficult to accept that he could have done anything like that."

Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said Dunn was the instigator and sentenced him to 30 weeks' detention in a young offenders' institution, suspended for two years, with 12 months' supervision, a requirement to attend the controlling anger programme, and 200 hours of unpaid work.

He sentenced Murray to 26 weeks' detention, suspended for two years, with 12 months' supervision and 200 hours' unpaid work.

Beech was handed 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years, with 200 hours' unpaid work and a three-month electronically-monitored curfew from 10pm to 7am.

Each defendant was ordered to pay £200 compensation to Mr Millward.

Murray and Beech must pay £400 prosecution costs, but Dunn was not ordered to pay costs as he is unemployed.

Judge Trevor-Jones said: "This was a joint attack – the three of you on one man on the ground. You punched or kicked or stamped on him. It is almost miraculous that he came out of it with minor injuries."