THREE men are behind bars for an attack which left their engineer victim seriously injuried - and changed him into a completely different person.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Gordon Gilchrist, 23, Philip Woodall, 24, and Philip Wheeldon, 22, kicked the man in the head whilst he was on the ground - and were told by a judge such behaviour can lead to death.

The 35 year old victim's jaw and eye sockets were smashed, he had to have a metal bar inserted into his face to allow the bones to knit together, and he later suffered depression and was unable to work

The complainant, who had earlier been sent "flying," out of a takeaway and crashed into some railings , had started the trouble and had bitten Wheeldon's nose.

Sentencing the trio, Judge Raymond Bennett said the bite was nasty and they had been justifiably upset and angry, but what they did outside the shop was "dreadful," and they had gone too far to put right the wrong.

Wheeldon, of York Street, and Gilchrist, of Church Street, both Crawshawbooth, were each jailed for eight months. Woodall, of Burnley Road, Loveclough, was given six months. All admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm, last November.

Sara Dodd, prosecuting, said the complainant had had several pints and eight brandies, left the Rythm Station club in Rawtenstall, and remembered very little except waking up in hospital in extreme pain.

A witness had seen him flying out of the takeaway in Bacup Road and two men ran out and started kicking him in the head. Another fight involving two men had gone on in the kebab shop.

Police were flagged down , the defendants were arrested and claimed they had been attacked.

The complainant was severly injured, was taken to Bury General Hospital suffering fractures to both eye sockets and jaw, but discharged himself.

He was later admitted to hospital again, had surgery to have the bar put into his face, could not now open his mouth properly and needed another operation to break and reset the jaw..

Miss Dodd said the victim no longer felt safe going out socially, was depressed, moody and unable to work. The final straw had come when he had gone to work at a house and the customer had known his attackers.

He now felt useless, that he was a burden on his family and was a completely different person than before the attack.

For Woodall, who worked at Smurfit, Rob Kearney said he had no previous convictions and the offence, a one-off, had been a nightmare.

He was upset about the damage caused that night and had been haunted by it ever since. He had brought shame on himself and his family.

In July, the defendant had taken an overdose, he felt anguish and remorse over what went on and not a day went by when he didn't think of it.

Defending Wheeldon, Gavin McBride, said he was still scarred from his nose injury, but the reaction to it was disproportionate.

He came from a respectable and stable family and the likelihood of reoffending was low. He knew he would be going to custody.

Representing Gilchrist, Mr McBride said he showed remorse for what he had done and was distressed by the court proceedings which were an unusual experience for him.

Gilchrist, who worked for a haulage firm, was frightened and had never been to prison before.