A thug who left a Good Samaritan with skull and face fractures during a two-day violent rampage smirked at his victim's partner as he was jailed.

Bradley Thomson, from Dover, looked straight at the woman and smiled smugly as he was led from the court dock to the cells at Canterbury Crown Court.

The 25-year-old had also grinned and given a thumbs-up sign to his mother and sister sitting in the public gallery.

But while it was said the two women were "shocked and appalled" at his behaviour, Thomson's barrister told the sentencing hearing it "reinforced their belief something was seriously wrong with him" and he needed help.

The court heard five people, including two women, were assaulted during two separate incidents in Dover, and he was armed with a two-pronged fork and a knife during the second.

His first victim was Robbie Dickenson who, together with his girlfriend, had intervened to stop a teenager being hassled and pinned against a bus stop by a group of four people, including Thomson, in Coombe Valley Road on June 10.

"Mr Dickenson told them all to get off and leave the young male alone," said prosecutor Stacey-Lee Holland.

"The group then turned their attention to him and came towards him, making him fear he would be assaulted. Therefore, he threw a road cone in their direction in order to ward them off."

However, as one of the group started punching Mr Dickenson, he fell backwards over a low wall and onto the ground. The court heard Thomson then joined in the attack.

"While Mr Dickenson was on the floor the two males kicked and stamped on his face," added Ms Holland.

Police were called by the victim's girlfriend and the group fled while Mr Dickenson lay on the ground motionless.

He was taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and found to have fractures to the base of his skull, cheekbone and nose.

Four days later, Thomson erupted into violence again after being seen kicking the door of a property in Tower Hamlets, wielding a fork and shouting he wanted to talk to the occupant.

He briefly retreated, only to return and continue his demands. When the resident appeared, Thomson swung at him with the fork, said Ms Holland.

At this point, local pub landlady Tammy Paige, heard the commotion and went outside to intervene, only to be assaulted for her efforts.

"The defendant told her it had 'f*** all' to do with her and then lunged at her twice with the fork towards her hip area while calling her various names including 's**g'," continued the prosecutor.

"At this stage, Malcolm Holland and Conan Everett also went to intervene. The defendant jabbed Mr Holland with the fork around five times, making contact and causing small jab puncture wounds to his arm and elbow."

Thomson also swung the fork towards Mr Holland's back rib area but did not make contact. He started to leave but then turned his attention to Mr Everett.

The prosecutor told the court: "The defendant didn't go far before he turned and went towards Mr Everett, swinging the fork again. Mr Everett hit the defendant's hand, causing him to drop the fork, and the defendant reacted by grabbing Mr Everett around the throat.

"Mr Everett told Thomson he was 'in enough trouble', causing him to be released and the defendant walked off up the road."

But as Mr Everett went into the pub to call police, he heard screaming and went outside to see Thomson running down the street with a knife.

His fifth assault victim was a mum – Kim Allsop – who was walking with her son. Thomson ran towards her shouting and, having knocked her to the ground, kicked her.

Thomson then continued to "lunge and lash out" with the blade at members of the public before being driven away.

Police went to his home, where they found a knife in his pocket and a small bag of cannabis. He later retrieved a second stash of the class B drug from his rectum, the court was told.

Thomson, of Folkestone Road, Dover, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Dickenson, assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr Holland, battery to Mr Everett and Ms Allsop, and common assault on Ms Paige.

He also pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, possessing a knife, affray and possessing cannabis.

Several of the victims, including Mr Dickenson, did not provide the court with impact statements. However, Ms Paige, who suffered bruising from being shoved, told police she was "totally shaken up" and also paranoid Thomson would return.

Mr Everett said he had been more concerned for others when he stepped in to help "in something he had not expected to happen on his doorstep", the court was told.

Thomson had been convicted in February of threats with an offensive weapon, assault on emergency worker and one attempted assault, and was therefore in breach of a conditional discharge and a suspended sentence order at the time of his rampage in June.

Kerry Waitt, defending, said his client's "troubled" background, which included witnessing a fatal traffic accident and being the victim of an assault, led to him "self-medicating" his resulting anxiety and then undiagnosed PTSD with alcohol and crack cocaine.

But Mr Waitt said Thomson did not want to use that as "any excuse or justification" for his behaviour in either incident and "acknowledges he is wrong".

Referring to family members in court, the lawyer added: "They are shocked and appalled to find him here today for this catalogue of offending. But it reinforces their own view that there is something seriously wrong with him for which he needs help."

Jailing Thomson for four-and-a-half years with an extended licence period of three years, Judge Mark Weekes said he considered him to be a "dangerous" offender due to his lack of insight and his "lifestyle".

He added that although his personality disorder would have been exacerbated by drink and drugs, it did not "significantly" reduce his culpability.

Of the attack on Mr Dickenson, Judge Weekes told Thomson: "This was a deeply unpleasant incident in which you engaged in quite terrible violence… You kicked and stamped on his face, which is a very troubling if not horrifying aspect of your offending.

"It was so deeply dangerous and could have easily resulted in far more significant damage than what was actually caused."

The judge added that as well as using weapons to "inflict or threaten violence" in the second incident, Thomson had engaged in "very antisocial, dangerous and misogynistic" behaviour.

In respect of the suspended sentence breach, he was jailed for six months consecutive to the extended sentence imposed, of which he will have to serve at least two-thirds of the custodial period before he can apply for parole.