Eight men were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court

by Keith Hunt

Eight thugs have been locked up for a violent town centre gang attack in which twin brothers were beaten up.

One of the victims - Joshua Dawe - suffered a broken jaw in the assault in Tunbridge Wells, which was captured on CCTV cameras.

A judge told Paul Whitehorn, James Smith, Dean Exton, James Brown, Jamie Bird, William Lawson, Jason Carver and Justin Tottle: “This followed an all too familiar pattern of drunken violence on the streets of a town for which these courts are responsible.

“All this followed a night out in which all of you had been drinking very much to excess and some of you had consumed cocaine.”

All eight men admitted violent disorder.

Whitehorn, 19, formerly of Tonbridge, now of Mill Road, Birchington, was sentenced to 21 months; Smith, 19, of South Croydon, to 18 months; Exton, 22, of Lambs Bank, Tonbridge, to 15 months; Brown, 18, of Coulsden, Surrey, to 12 months; Bird, 19, of Coulsden, to 20 months; Lawson, 18, of Lambs Bank, Tonbridge, to 16 months; Carver, 19, of Lavender Hill, Tonbridge, to 20 months; and Tottle, 21, of Clifton Road, Tonbridge, to 16 months.

Maidstone Crown Court heard all those involved had been to Bar Fusion in the town when the trouble started in Calverley Precinct.

"smash their heads in. do you want to have it…” – what the victims heard being shouted at them before the attack

William Eaglestone, prosecuting, said the incident started in the early hours of September 16 last year with Whitehorn punching Joshua Dawe in the head.

Bird then ran in and attacked Ben Dawe.

Judge Michael Carroll watched CCTV showing the others joining in the brawl.

Joshua told in a statement how Tottle had approached him in the club and wanted to fight him.

Afterwards, he and his brother were walking along when they heard shouts of: "Smash their heads in. Do you want to have it?"

Although Joshua had a broken jaw, he did not need surgery. Ben had swelling and bruising to his face.

Whitehorn told police he was not sorry for his actions.

Passing sentence, Judge Carroll said: "This behaviour puts members of the community in serious fear for their safety and results in serious injury and cannot be dealt with in any other way than an immediate custodial sentence starting today for each one of you."