A taxi driver left for dead by two thugs who kicked him in the head in an unprovoked attack has blasted their sentences.

Owen Palmer (near right) was one of three Dartford cabbies attacked by violent Christopher Cole and a teenage boy.

The 66-year-old’s head was booted after he was punched to the ground as he protected colleague Eddie McCann (far right) in a rampage sparked by a row over a fare.

Now the pensioner has blasted the sentences dished out to his attackers as an "outrage".

Cole, 25, from Beckenham, has been jailed for a year and the 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, locked up for eight months.

Mr Palmer, from Temple Hill, said: "The justice system has let me and the police down. I’m still suffering, but they’ll be out in just a few months.

"They probably won’t even have learned their lesson. It’s an outrage. Older people used to be treated with respect, but not any more."

For the full story and to see Mr Palmer's horrific injuries, buy this week's Dartford Messenger