A thug smashed a bottle into a university student's face and beat him with a belt for eight minutes until “part of his face was hanging off.”

Callum Gabbitas from Canterbury was arrested wearing the same blood splattered clothes while his maimed victim was treated in hospital with a shattered jaw after the unprovoked attack.

The 22-year-old has now been jailed for five years and seven months at Canterbury Crown Court for the “horrific” assault on Ayataeb Saudin.

Gabbitas and three others drew up to Mr Saudin and his friends in Canterbury High Street after an evening drinking in the early hours of May.

He and an accomplice erupted into violence where he thrashed Mr Saudin in the face with a glass bottle and repeatedly with his belt buckle, prosecutor Abigail White explained.

One of Mr Saudin’s friends was also beaten and kicked in the head as he lay on the floor, CCTV showed.

Gabbitas and one unidentified woman fled the scene in a taxi, the destination address subsequently supplied to officers who arrested Gabbitas wearing the same blood-covered clothes.

He gave a no comment police interview but pleaded guilty to wounding with intent before trial.

His accomplices are yet to be identified.

Mr Saudin, a university student, would suffer scarring still present now.

“I suffered a significant injury to my face where part of my left cheek was hanging off. At the time, I could see part of my face hanging off out of the corner of my eye.

“I also lost a lot of blood as a result of this injury,” he explained.

"At the time, I could see part of my face hanging off out of the corner of my eye..."

“As far as I am aware, my jaw was shattered on both sides of my face following the attack.

“I had to remain in hospital for around four days and had to have emergency surgery on my jaw and my face.”

Mr Saudin told of feeling “lost”, anxious about job opportunities, and doctors finding glass embedded near his ear.

“I feel really lost because I believe I am going to have a significant scar for the rest of my life - I feel that I will be misjudged because of the way I will look.

“I am currently studying at university and I worry that I will not be able to achieve my ideal jobs because of the way I look,” he said.

“I have had a lot of unwanted attention due to the injury to my face and a lot of people asking me what has happened.

“I feel this is something I am going to have to learn to deal with for a while.”

Gabbitas, appearing from HMP Elmley via videolink with family in the public gallery, remained passive as Mr Saudin told of his pain.

The judge, recorder Simon Sterling, called the injuries “horrific” before jailing Gabbitas.

“You, together with three others were in High Street in Canterbury, when you came across them.

“When you approached them one of your number appeared to be reasonably friendly to begin with, but then an entirely unprovoked attack took place.

“The victims tried to defend themselves, a woman tried to intervene where you, with a bottle in your hand, while under the influence of alcohol, caused the bottle to smash and the horrific injury to his face,” he said.

“That wasn’t sufficient.”

“You used your belt on My Saudin and I have watched the CCTV and this is an assault that continued for the best part of eight minutes.”

Gabbitas, who was 21 at the time of the assault, was “shocked by the footage” and wrote a letter to the court displaying remorse, his lawyer said.

Phil Rowley, mitigating, said Gabbitas was unaware who his accomplices were, as he met them the same night.

“He can offer no explanation for his actions but recognises it is wrong,” he continued.

Gabbitas, of Bramshaw Road, Canterbury, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and affray.

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