A THUG who seriously injured a chef in a vicious, unprovoked attack has been jailed for three years.

Alexander Batte was left battered, bleeding and with a deformed arm after he was stamped on in the attack.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Mr Batte was walking home at about 11pm from his job at the Leas Club on the Leas at Folkestone when he encountered Mervyn Neeson, of Victoria Road, Folkestone, and another man.

Giving evidence as a vulnerable witness via a TV link to the courtroom, Mr Batte said that it was the evening England were beaten on penalties by Portugal on June 24 in Euro 20004 and that there had been a barbecue at the club.

He said that he had reached Cheriton Place when he saw two men and recognised one of them as Neeson.

"He had previously assaulted me in November 2003," he said. "Whenever I have encountered him, I have avoided him."

Mr Batte said that he sought "sanctuary" by running across the street and into the foyer of f lats at Cheriton Place where his ex-girlfriend and daughter lived.

He rang the doorbell but got no answer. Within seconds, Neeson, 34, and the other man arrived and started attacking him.

"I took a blow to my head and face," he said. "That dropped me to the floor. I was crouched over, protecting my head. I was repeatedly kicked in the head and body.

"My arm was stamped on. I felt my right arm being jumped on. Neeson said if I grassed him up to the police again, next time they would cut my throat."

Asked if he believed the threat, he replied: "Absolutely, I had no reason to doubt the threat. My face was covered in blood." An X-ray of his arm revealed multiple fractures.

Nina Ellin, prosecuting, said that the other man involved in the beating had never been found.

Neeson, who had been jailed for six years in 1995 for wounding with intent, denied inflicting grievous bodily harm but was convicted by a jury. Mr Recorder Commodore Robert Fraser said that it was a ferocious attack on a man walking home after a long day at work.

"It is clear on any hearing of this case that only prison is appropriate," he told Neeson.

* Mr Batte has praised police, Victim Support and the court for their care. He said: "I've nothing but 100 per cent praise for the police in particular, PC Mark Mason, who was wonderful.

"The treatment I received at court with the Crown Prosecution Service and the witness support people was wonderful. It was a daunting experience, but now justice has been done."