Two drunk men who repeatedly punched a man and fractured his eye socket as he tried to defend himself with a candlestick have been locked up.

James Dean and Richie Gardiner attacked Anthony Pemberton at a friend’s house in Rishton after the victim started pushing them out of the building, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Dean and Gardiner then punched Mr Pemberton before he hit them with a candlestick.

Mr Pemberton was also kicked on the floor by Gardiner and suffered a fractured left eye socket and severe bleeding.

Dean, of Hermitage Street, Rishton and Gardiner, of Commercial Street, Rishton, both pleaded guilty to unlawful and malicious wounding.

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said both men went round to the house at 6.30am on November 23 last year and were ‘clearly drunk’, holding cans of lager.

An argument developed between them and Mr Pemberton before the victim tried to ‘push’ them towards the door.

Mr Parker told the court how Gardiner and Dean then punched Mr Pemberton to the head with ‘full force blows’.

Mr Pemberton then tried to defend himself with a metal candle holder in the bedroom and ‘swung it around’ hitting Dean and Gardiner on the head, the court heard.

Mr Parker said: “He then received a massive punch to the face and fell to the ground and grabbed Dean and fell to the floor together.

“While he is on the floor he is kicked by Gardiner to the side of the face and said the final one felt like a stamp.”

Factory worker Dean, 22, then punched Mr Pemberton for a final time before they fled the house.

James Dean, 22, of Hermitage Street, Rishton

A victim impact statement read out in court told how Mr Pemberton’s vision has returned, however he still suffers from migraines, headaches, memory loss and numbness.

Daniel King, defending Dean, said Mr Pemberton’s use of the candlestick “sounds a bit like Cluedo”.

He said: “Dean accepts full responsibility for his behaviour and genuine remorse for his behaviour and the injuries he caused.”

He told the court how his mother said since the incident his is a different person.

Robert Elias, defending Gardiner, said: “They are drunken young men and it escalated partly due to the self-defence of the victim.”

Gardiner, 20, was sent to a young offenders institution for 20 months and Dean was jailed for 20 months.