A punch-up involving more than 10 drunken youths outside an Ashford bar has been described by a judge as “horrifyingly sickening violence”.

The early-morning scrap was caught on CCTV and played to Judge James O’Mahony and a packed room at Canterbury Crown Court.

After the four-minute scene ended, the judge said: “I have seen fighting from time to time, especially as a judge conducting trials, but what I saw was horrifyingly, sickening violence. My reaction was one of shock.”

Two of the people involved in the fighting, which left one man nursing a fractured cheekbone, teenagers James Caulfield and Matthew Devonport, were both jailed for 52 months.

Friends in the packed public gallery gasped, shouting: “Oh my god no!” and “How can you justify that, you get less for raping a child?”

During the playing of the video, Devonport sobbed as he watched the victim being punched, kicked and stamped on outside The Auction House bar at 2.30am last November.

Caulfield, 19, of Watermead Close, Ashford, and pal Devonport, also 19, from Old Pond Road, South Ashford, had admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray.

Prosecutor Claire Cooper told the judge how the victim, 26 year old Jack O’Sullivan, had been acting as peacemaker after two groups of people started fighting.

She said punches began being thrown after a man with blond spiky hair took exception to comments being made about him.

Mr O’Sullivan tried to usher people away and at one point moved a woman’s handbag and placed it safely away from the melee.

Ms Cooper added that the CCTV clearly showed the victim was “a peacemaker, with his arms constantly outstretched in a conciliatory manner” towards the fighting groups.

“It was then that Devonport walked over to where he was standing and punched him severely in the face, a blow which took Mr O’Sullivan to the floor.”

The judge said the punch had been “absolutely devastating”, knocking him unconscious.

The prosecutor added: “It was then that Devonport kicked him while he was still on the floor. He then left him there and the video shows him clearly not moving.”

She said that 10 seconds later Caulfield walked up to the motionless victim and kicked and stamped on his head.

The victim, an electrician about to start a new job in London, was left with facial injuries and severe headaches, which led to repeated trips to hospital.

The judge told the pair the assaults were gratuitous and the CCTV had resembled a scene from a Wild West movie film.

“Thanks to the advent of CCTV the court can actually see what happened and those who were monitoring the CCTV were also able to inform the police almost immediately.”

Kerry Waitt, defending Devonport, said the group had been drinking but denied being drunk.

“This was a momentary loss of control and temper and he is genuinely remorseful.

“He had hoped to qualify as a sports teacher and he has now thrown away his career.”

Tanya Robinson, for Caulfield, said he was “a polite, hard-working and trustworthy young man who accepts his behaviour that morning was disgusting. He has always wanted to apologise.”

Judge O’Mahony attacked people who claim changes to the licensing laws were benefitting the community, adding: “If they think that, then they should have watched this case.”

He told the pair that after the victim was knocked out by the punch; “How could it have been necessary to do any more to him? He was helpless.

“Mr O’Sullivan was a peacemaker, returning bags to females who had lost their handbags and he had done you no harm at all. Both of you then launched a totally gratuitous attack.”

The victim told how he was left suffering from extreme pain and headaches and feared it would never go away. He was also unable to work and lost £4,500 in lost wages.