TWO men "meted out" a "brutal" alcohol-fuelled act of violence on the streets of Bournemouth town centre in the early hours.

Ilias Lakhdar burnt a man's face with a cigarette and attacked him.

Ayoub Sabir joined in with assault, which included kicking the victim when he fell to the ground.

A second separate attack followed on a innocent woman, who had been in the Exeter Road area and shortly after the initial incident. The two men dished out blows upon her which left her unconscious.

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Lakhdar, 27 and of Brent, London, and Sabir, 28 and of Milton, Cambridge, were sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, December 17, for two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Lakhdar, who works as a barber, pleaded guilty to both offences while nurse Sabir fought the matter to trial and was found guilty of both offences in October.

Recorder Barry McElduff handed the two defendants 18-month prison sentences, suspended for 18 months.

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The judge said it was obvious to him that the consumption of alcohol led to the offenders' behaviour, which could "clearly be seen" on the CCTV footage on June 25, 2019.

"You had been in no trouble before and you have not been in trouble since but the violence that the two of you meted out on the streets of Bournemouth two years ago was brutal," said Recorder McElduff.

"The incident was relatively short lived but it was a serious attack of violence by the two of you."

Prosecutor, Laura Deuxberry told the court Lakhdar and Sabir had been out at Halo nightclub, as had their first victim.

Everybody left the venue at around 3am. Sabir had been removed by door staff, the court heard.

Ms Deuxberry said the victim went over to speak to Sabir to try to calm him down before Lakhdar approached both of them.

She said at this point the victim described Lakhdar as being "aggressive" before the offender burned the man's face with a cigarette.

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The assault sparked from this point before settling when the two parties were separated and one group went down the road.

However, Sabir went back over to where the victim was to talk to various people.

An altercation developed again, with Lakhdar carrying out the assault before Sabir joined in.

The victim fell to the floor at one point and he was kicked on the ground.

When the parties separated again, the second victim, who was out in the area of town, went up to the two defendants at which point they decided to attack her.

Ms Deuxberry said the woman was hit in the face and also fell to the ground.

The two defendants fled the scene. Sabir stopped when told do so by police officers, however, Lakhdar did not stop. He was located on the roof of a nearby building and he was arrested.

A victim impact statement from the male victim said the attack had left him worried to go out in fear he would be attacked again.

The judge said the man suffered serious injuries but fortunately he had made a full recovery.

In relation to the second attack upon the "concerned passerby", the judge said the defendants delivered heavy blows which left her unconscious.

He added: "Mercifully, it would seem she made a swift recovery from her injuries but someone being punched like that when they do not expect it by someone drunk who isn't fully aware as to the strength of their blows could kill someone."

The court heard both defendants had no previous convictions.

Charles Gabb, mitigating for Lakhdar, said his client acknowledged the impact alcohol had on in his behaviour and highlighted that he had pleaded guilty to the offences.

Representing Sabir, Mary Aspinall-Miles said her client could have no issues with the judge's intention to impose a suspended sentence.

She asked the court to take into account the pressures he faced when considering financial orders for costs and compensation as he was due to start paying off a loan he had taken out to support his family.

The suspended sentence orders included a requirement to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. Both defendants, who were described as "hardworking" by the judge, were ordered to pay £500 costs and £500 compensation - £250 to each victim.

Summarising the incident, Recorder McElduff said: "Mr Lakhdar started it and Mr Sabir ended it."

He added: "They are not drinkers. They got drunk and they did what they did."