Two men have been jailed after a man was struck in the side of the head with a pint glass during a violent attack at a pub.

Lee Emery and Rikki Tuffrey carried out an unprovoked attack on a man who had been drinking in the White Rabbit in Sandling Lane, last year.

Emery, 43, was sentenced to two years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court while Tuffrey, 26, was also jailed for two years, less 162 days in connection to a previous curfew order.

The court heard that on January 7 the victim had been approached by Emery in the pub toilet and asked if he wanted to buy cocaine.

He turned down the offer and later went into the pub garden where he was suddenly set upon by Emery and Tuffrey.

They punched the victim repeatedly in the face, before Tuffrey then picked up a pint glass and smashed it into the side of his head.

The victim attended hospital suffering head injuries including broken teeth.

Both Tuffrey and Emery were subsequently arrested and initially denied any wrong doing.

Emery, of Dickens Road, Maidstone, and Tuffrey, of Hayes Road, Clacton-on-Sea, later pleaded guilty at court to a charge of causing grievous bodily harm.

Sergeant Jo Hazelwood said: "This was a vicious and cowardly assault on a young man who was spending an evening out with friends.

"The actions of Emery and Tuffrey could easily have led to far more serious injuries and I don’t doubt the victim has also suffered some serious long lasting mental scars.

"I hope this sentence serves as a warning to others as to the gravity with which the courts view such offences, especially where glasses are used as weapons."