THE mother of a father-to-be jailed for his part in a series of random street attacks in Burnley today said she would appeal against his sentence.

Susan McGovern, 40, of Rendel Street, said she was unhappy with the eight-month jail term Cameron McGovern, received.

The 19-year-old, who Mrs McGovern said lived with his heavily-pregnant girlfriend Rebecca Wallis, 21, in Oak Street, was last week jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to two assault charges.

Soldier Adrian Cottam, 19, of Lowerhouse Lane, was sentenced to 12 months after admitting three counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Cottam is now set to be discharged from the Army.

Judge Beverley Lunt watched a video of the pair, who had no previous convictions, "swaggering" along Hammerton Street in the early hours of September 30 and beating up unsuspecting passers-by.

But today Mrs McGovern, a school caretaker, said she felt the gravity of the sentence was unfair.

She added her son was only out that night because he attended a memorial party on the first anniversary of the death of his friend Wesley McDevitt.

The 18-year-old, who was going to be a soldier, died after falling out of a mini-bus in Bury on a night out.

Mrs McGovern said: "Not one of them has ever been in trouble before. I am not disputing they got themselves into trouble but I think the sentence was unfair.

"I read in the paper another report about someone who beat someone up with a stick and who had previous convictions and they got off.

"I am going to appeal against it."

Mrs McGovern, who sympathised with her son's friend, said her son telephoned the family from Lancaster Farms prison last Saturday saying he was alright.

She added that her family was now rallying round to help Miss Wallis, who looks after her grandmother, who recently suffered a stroke.

Mrs McGovern said: "Cameron and Rebecca used to go up every night and look after her grandma, who brought her up.

"His girlfriend is left on her own and is due in six weeks. At the minute she is stuck in limbo."