TWO men who drunkenly punched and kicked their victim in the head as he lay on the ground in a “disgusting” attack have avoided jail.

Sam Addison, of St Thomas Close, Hinton Waldrist, near Faringdon, and Martin Cain, of Pinnocks Way, Oxford, both pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm on April 19 this year.

Prosecutor Richard Partridge said the two men – who are both 27 years old – were in Park End Street in Oxford at 3am after drinking all day when they met their victim Oliver Robinson.

He said the attack was captured on CCTV and added: “The victim was pushed to the ground by Cain and both of them set about him.

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“Addison kicked him several times in the head and Cain punched him several times in the head.”

Mr Partridge said Mr Robinson was left with bruises and a broken finger that had to be in plaster for four weeks.

He added that neither defendant could remember the attack, but when Addison was shown the CCTV footage he said: “I’m disgusted in myself, I’ve got no excuse.”

Gareth James, defending both men, said Addison was a carpenter and Cain was hoping to get a job as a labourer for a building contractor.

He said: “They had consumed a cocktail of various forms of alcohol and then, unfortunately, came across the defendant as he was making his way home.”

Mr James told Judge Peter Ross none of those involved could remember why they had got into an argument.

Sitting at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Ross said the incident had been “disgusting” and the kicking of Mr Robinson in the head was “the riskiest lottery of all”.

He said: “When I was a barrister I was involved in cases where people died after receiving kicks on the ground.”

Judge Ross sentenced both men to 16-month sentences, suspended for two years, with a restorative justice requirement, supervision for six months, a curfew for four months and 180 hours of unpaid work.

They were also both told to pay £500 compensation, £400 costs and £100 victims’ surcharge.