A thug who kicked and punched a man as he lay on the ground and then threatened him not to appear in court has been locked up.

Joshua Ramshaw, 20, ran up behind Chaz Sharman and threw a punch at him while on Charter Street in Accrington town centre last April 2012.

The violence continued in May of that year when Ramshaw and Ben Fraser, 19, kicked and punched Mr Sharman as he was curled up in a ball on the floor, on Nuttall Street, after following him in a car.

Then, while on bail for this offence, Ramshaw and his friend Jamie Stanton, 19, approached Mr Sharman and his cousin in Accrington town centre on March 27 this year.

Ramshaw said: “You’d better not go to court or I’ll kill you,” the court heard.

While Stanton added: “Good job there are cameras around or you’d get it.”

Stanton was bouncing on his feet as he spoke, ready to fight, prosecutor Miss Fitzpatrick said.

Miss Fitzpatrick told Burnley Crown Court that Mr Sharman is anxious as a result of what happened and is scared to leave the house alone.

After a three-day trial in which all three defendants denied the charges against them, Ramshaw, of York Street, Church, was found guilty of common assault, ABH and witness intimidation. Fraser, of Countess Street, Accrington, was found guilty of ABH, and Stanton, of Emma Street, Church, was found guilty of witness intimidation. Mr Taylor, for Ramshaw, said the defendant is currently working full time for his brother, and is trying to achieve good things despite needing surgery on his shoulder.

The barrister said Ramshaw is impulsive and needs an anger management course which he would not get in prison.

He added: “He got into bad company and committed some offences due to over-consumption of alcohol.” Mr Wilde, for Fraser and Stanton, said Fraser  has never taken drugs and only drank alcohol on his 18th birthday.

The college student, who lives with his mum, was described as a ‘kind lad’who has never been in trouble before.

Mr Wilde asked for a suspended sentence for Fraser, who has no previous convictions.

The barrister added that there has been a ‘huge sea change’ for house husband Stanton since his daughter was born and said the defendant is maturing.

Recorder Suzanne Goddard QC sent Ramshaw to a young offenders’ institution for 12 months.

Stanton was sentenced to six months in a young offenders’ institution and Fraser was ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work.