Three thugs have been jailed for a total of almost 19 years for a vicious attack on a man in a Maidstone street that left him with life-changing injuries.

Jerome Starkey suffered three fractures to his jaw in the assault by Samuel Grief, 23, Joseph Jabatie, 28, and 26-year-old David Ademiju.

They all denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent but a jury took just 20 minutes to convict them this week.

Ademiju, a barber, of Brewer Street, Maidstone, was sentenced today to seven-and-a-half years, hairdresser Jabatie, of Thackeray Road, Larkfield, to seven years and trainee scaffolder Grief, of Lucerne Street, Maidstone, to four years and five months.

Ademiju denied two charges of having an offensive weapon - a knife and knuckleduster - and was acquitted of those counts.

The three and the victim had all left Lashings Sports Bar in Upper Stone Street at about 6.30am on September 6 last year.

Ademiju had taken exception to Mr Starkey’s friendship with another man who had also been in the bar, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Jabatie loitered outside the bar, while Ademiju waited in the car park. There was then a confrontation.

Mr Starkey said in evidence he told them they should leave or they would get themselves arrested.

But Ademiju ran down an alleyway and returned wearing a black balaclava or mask over his face. Mr Starkey claimed he was armed with the weapons.

Ademiju and Jabatie were then joined by Grief, who stripped off his top.

“I had my head kicked in and my jaw broken,” said the victim. “After the short man (Jabatie) punched me I fell to the floor. All of them started to kick and stamp on me.”

Ademiju was on licence at the time from a 42-month sentence imposed at Woolwich Crown Court in May 2014 for robbery.

Jabatie was jailed for six years in 2006 for robbing a betting shop with his brother and five years in 2010 for another robbery.

Passing sentence, Judge David Griffith-Jones QC said: “Fuelled by drink, you decided to wait for Mr Starkey to leave the club with a view to giving him a beating.”

Ademiju landed one significant blow. “That blow, however, was a manifestly fearsome punch,” he added.

After the hearing, Detective Constable Fiona Dalzell said: "This was a cowardly and inhumane attack by three men who subjected the victim to completely intolerable levels of violence.

"All assaults are callous but the fact these men continued to beat the victim when he was laying on the floor, clearly seriously injured, makes their offence all the more heinous.

"They then denied the assault, forcing the victim to relive the trauma in court. It is entirely appropriate they have received these sentences and I hope this brings some closure to the victim."