Thug Ted Briffitt thought he had escaped detection when he left a stranger lying in a pool of blood in New Romney.

The powerfully-built 21-year-old had pummelled his victim – fracturing his cheek bone – before callously walking away.

Now the jobless bully has been brought to justice for the nasty early morning attack in Church Approach in January.

It comes after a 16-year-old friend of Briffitt read a Kentish Express report and remembered him sending her a Facebook message...and alerted police.

Now he has been given an 18-month suspended jail sentence after admitting assault and stealing a mobile phone belonging to victim Spencer Byfield.

Briffitt, of Wade Close, St Mary At Marsh, would claim the punch-up began when he was approached by the victim and asked if he could get cocaine.

Then he alleged Welshman Mr Byfield took exception to a remark about his nationality and a fight broke out with one of Briffitt’s pals..who he refused to name.

He said he had gone to his mate’s defence as Mr Byfield had the upper hand and delivered four blows to the face.

But his damning 03.39 Facebook message on January 19 revealed the stark truth about the unprovoked beating.

It showed that within an hour of the attack, Briffitt was trying to cover his tracks.

He wrote to a teenage friend of his ex-girlfriend, Shelley Fowler: “I need Shelley’s help please. Try and get her to ring.

"I am not supposed to talk to her or I’ll get nicked again.

“Please tell her I am actually homeless now. I am walking around in the snow. I need her help bad.

"I beat some man in Romney tonight bad..there’s blood all on my clothes. All I want is for her to wash them for me so I don’t get caught in case he’s f***ed.

“He wasn’t moving and there was blood all up the floor. I only hit him four times, I think. You may not like me, but I don’t care LOL”.

Canterbury Crown Court heard how Mr Byfield had been staying at the Cinque Ports Arms in the town when he met Briffitt, who was out with his pals.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey said earlier in the day Briffitt had been given police bail after threatening his girlfriend with an axe.

He was later given a community order after admitting the offence.

Ms Fowler didn't respond to the Facebook plea - and her ex-boyfriend is now banned from contacting her under a court restraining order.

Briffitt would claim that after leaving the pub the group began a snowball fight when Mr Byfield asked some in the group where he could get “some real snow”.

“All my mates said no but I told him that I could get some for him, “ he added.

He later told police: “We were having a snowball fight in the High Street and a Welshman approach us and asked us if we could get him some cocaine.”

Briffitt said that Mr Byfield took exception to a comment about his nationality, adding: “Then I hit him and then left him there on the floor.”

Mr Harvey said that the victim was taken to the William Harvey Hospital where the fracture of the top part of the cheek bone near the eye socket was diagnosed.

"I beat some man in Romney tonight bad..there’s blood all on my clothes" -Briffitt's Facebook posting

The prosecutor claimed Briffitt had also kicked his victim – which led to him being covered in Mr Byfield’s blood.

“The truth is that he was wound up because earlier in the day he had been charged with the incident with his then girlfriend and took his frustration out on Mr Byfield”

The victim had revealed how Briffitt and his pals approached him after leaving the pub and he heard one of them talk about finding out what was in his pockets.

Giving his evidence by video link at a special hearing, he denied asking for cocaine and told how he had pleaded with his assailants to stop the attack.

Briffitt, who claimed he returned to the scene and found the mobile phone, was given an 18 month sentence suspended for two years and ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work for the community.

He also admitted later damaging a police cell after his arrest – but was not ordered to pay compensation to his victim because he didn’t have a job.

Judge Nigel Van Der Bijl told him: “I am concerned about the way you handle yourself when you get stressed up. You need help to get away from violence.”