Thug launched brutal attack after following man from Leeds nightclub, punching him 'at least 10 times'

Blaze Phillips launched the sickening attack on the man whom he knew and had been in The Backroom nightclub on January 20.

Phillips then followed him to a shop on Duncan Street after leaving the club around 2am. The incident that followed was caught on CCTV and played to Leeds Crown Court this week. It showed 29-year-old Phillips walk up behind him and and punch him twice.

After he fell to the floor, 18-year-old Kenzy-Jane McPherson, who was with Phillips, kicked him several times, while an unidentified male also joined in kicking him.

Phillips, of Manor Farm Road, Middleton, then grabbed the victim by the collar as he was prone and punched him repeatedly to the face "at least 10 times and possibly twice that", Judge Richard Mansell KC observed.

The victim suffered a fractured eye socket, was bleeding from his mouth and sprained his arm.

The police arrived during the assault and Phillips was arrested. McPherson was later arrested. Appearing in court via video link from HMP Hull, where he was being held on remand, Phillips admitted a charge of attempted GBH with intent. McPherson, now of Armley Ridge Road, Armley, admitted a charge of ABH.

Mitigating for Phillips, Eddison Flint said the father-of-four had showed remorse and made "full and frank admissions from the get go".

He added: "I showed him the footage for the first time and he was visibly shaken and mortified at what he was seeing. It's quite clear he did not appreciate the full extent of his actions. The gravity of what he did that night really hit him."

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For McPherson, Erin Kitson-Parker said she had "substantial mental health issues" including emotionally unstable personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Miss Kitson-Parker said: "It's clear she lost her temper. She understands her behaviour was wholly wrong."

Judge Mansell KC said there was "no justification" for "taking the law into their own hands". He jailed Phillips for two years, and gave McPherson an 18-month community order and 30 rehabilitation days.