TWO men have been jailed for three years after attacking a man in the street in Accrington and leaving him for dead in an alleyway.

Anthony Fielding, 23, of Augusta Street, Accrington, and Kenneth MacFarlane, 39, of Hermitage Street, Rishton, both pleaded guilty to a charge of actual bodily harm at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard how the incident happened in May this year when Fielding - a best friend of his victim, Lee Taylor, 33 - and MacFarlane stamped on and kicked him in Augusta Street after the trio had spent the afternoon together. Dennis Watson, prosecuting, said Mr Taylor had no memory of the assault, other than waking up in hospital.

According to one eyewitness, the men appeared to be stamping on Mr Taylor. Fielding was said to have jumped into the air and landed with both feet on the man's body. MacFarlane was described as taking a run up and kicking Mr Taylor in the head.

Mr Watson said the witness thought they had killed him. "The two defendants dragged the unconscious victim along the road and left him by an alley." Another witness told police he thought the incident had begun as drunken play fighting, but had then become extremely serious.

Mr Taylor suffered multiple grazing to the head, grazing to both elbows and other injuries.

Both defendants had previous convictions for robbery.

Miss Amanda Johnson, for Fielding, said he was heavily intoxicated at the time.

Mr Jeremy Lasker, for MacFarlane, said that defendant had led a chaotic lifestyle and involved himself in substance-fuelled offending.

He had shown genuine remorse for the attack.