Two cousins subjected a man to ‘horrific’ violence after mistaking his home for the location of a house party, a court heard.

Victim Simon Grantham was kicked, punched and stamped on during the incident on Haworth Street in Rishton and was also repeatedly struck with bottles and a stick.

The court that Daniel Collins and Robert Martin launched an unprovoked attack on Mr Grantham after ‘knocking and kicking his front door’ during the incident at around 11.30pm on May 7.

Emma Kehoe, prosecuting, told Preston Crown Court that when Mr Grantham went to the door her saw two men and said ‘can I help you’ before one of the men swore at him and called him a midget.

The court heard how one of the men swung a bag in his hand containing bottles and struck Mr Grantham causing him to fall to the floor.

Miss Kehoe said the victim described how a ‘number of blows were raining over his body and face’ and for around 30 seconds he was ‘kicked, punched and stamped on’.

Mr Grantham was also hit with a stick across his back before another male smashed a bottle over the back of his head.

The court heard how Mr Grantham was ‘blacking out’ as one of the men stood behind him ‘with his arms in his face trying to gouge his eyes out’ while the other offender kicked and stamped on him.

Miss Kehoe said the victim was ‘shouting and screaming for help’ and after ‘what seemed like an age’ he heard a female voice scream ‘you better go, the police are coming’.

Mr Grantham was taken to hospital by ambulance and suffered a ‘very nasty’ back injury, bruising to his face, cuts and brazes.

When arrested by police, both defendants denied the offence and said that any assault which took place had been in self-defence.

Miss Kehoe said: “They were on that street looking for a house party. They thought they were hammering on the door of the female’s house whose party they were attending.

“Of course they got the wrong house and that’s how Mr Grantham transpired to be their victim that night. They were unknown to Mr Grantham before that night.”

Collins, 29, of Parklands Way, Blackburn, and Martin, 28, of Brownlow Street, Blackburn, both pleaded guilty to ABH.

Collins also admitted ABH in relation to a separate incident in Blackburn in 2016 and was jailed for two years and five months.

Martin was given a two-year jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 200 hours unpaid work and ordered to pay £750 compensation.

Unpleasant incident was ‘drunken violence’

Judge Andrew Woolman said it was ‘drunken violence’ and an ‘extremely unpleasant’ attack.

Sentencing, he told the court: “It’s a truly horrific incident. I have seen the photographs [of the injuries] and they are not pleasant to look at.”

He told Collins: “You have family responsibilities and work very hard. You being involved in an offence like this is extremely surprising.”

Darren Lee-Smith, defending fork lift truck driver and father-of-one Martin, said he had no previous convictions and was ‘capable of remaining offence-free’.

He said: “He wishes to express his remorse to the complainant. He can’t believe that he acted in this way.”

The court heard father-of-one Collins had 16 convictions for 27 offences and was on bail at the time for a separate incident.

Kevin Donnelly, defending Collins, said he had an ‘unimpressive record’ and that his violence was ‘often the result of binge drinking’.

He told the court: “He clearly does have issues with anger management and substance abuse, particularly alcohol.

“It’s a serious matter. It’s an attack involving two on one and involving weapons.”