Three Gravesend nightclub bouncers have been jailed for a vicious attack on two customers - described by a judge as "madness".

Shivan Saeed was left battered and bleeding and in need of more than 50 stitches after being stabbed in the head. Sarwar Kadir was also beaten up.

Denis Thompson, who was in charge at The Grove, was given the longest sentence of six years.

Alex Jetha was jailed for five years and eight months, while Eduard Osipovs was sentenced to 20 months.

Jetha, 27, of Vicarage Road, Strood, and Thompson, 36, of Malyons Road, Lewisham, south east London, were convicted of causing grievous bodily harm with intent on Mr Saeed.

Russian-born Osipovs, 39, of Queen Street, Gravesend, was acquitted of the charge - but convicted with Jetha of assault causing actual bodily harm to Mr Kadir.

The jury was unable to reach verdicts on both charges against Duane Tomlin, 36, of Asaph Road, Crofton Park, south east London, and there will be a retrial on January 12 next year. Bail was continued.

All the charges were denied.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Saeed's earlobe had to be reattached after he was knifed.

His group had been ejected from the nightclub in The Grove in the early hours of November 11 2012. There was an argument and a scuffle.

Prosecutor Mark Seymour said the group left, but returned to get some food at a nearby burger van.

Mr Seymour said the bouncers then drove after them to Rose Avenue. There, the doormen arrived and went over to the victims' car. The front windows were smashed.

"They were then viciously attacked with batons and other weapons including a knife," said Mr Seymour. "They got out, or were dragged out, of the car."

Witnesses saw Mr Saeed being knifed in a various places, including his head.

Judge Michael Carroll said it was a sustained attack and weapons were used.

"I do not detect much provocation here," he said. "These are professional door staff. They are used to dealing with people who have had too much to drink. It is what happens outside clubs up and down the country.

"The way to deal with it is to call for outside help. They pursued them. Once they caught up with them they smashed windows and they laid about them with knives and batons of some description."

The judge said Thompson - known as Tiny - was the man in charge.

"Gravesend, he said, was not a bad place for misbehaviour. He had the power and authority to stop this in its tracks. Instead, he went with these people.

"That must have been encouragement to them. Even the boss was coming along to sort them out."

Judge Carroll said Jetha had felt aggrieved the police did not do their job properly about an earlier incident in which a blow was aimed at him by a member of the victims' group.

"I suspect that was the undercurrent for what took place later on that morning," said the judge.

He "wholeheartedly disagreed" there was a great degree of provocation. "You were professionals and should have known better," said Judge Carroll.

"It could be said this was a sustained assault but the Court of Appeal seems to have taken an extremely strict view of that term."

He told Jetha: "You wielded a knife and that is an extremely serious factor. It was on a public street."

He was sentenced to five years for the grievous bodily harm offence and eight months consecutive for actual bodily harm.

The judge told Thompson: "You were in charge. You ran the company that supplied door staff to this establishment. It was within your power to stop what can be described as madness from continuing from the beginning.

"You were the boss. You did worse than nothing, you joined in. You wielded a weapon."

Osipovs drove the car and attempted to dispose of evidence by setting fire to it.

"I regard that as a clear factor in increasing the seriousness of the offence," he added.

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