This shocking video shows two vicious thugs pursuing and attacking a victim for trying to defend a woman after she was headbutted.
Terrified Colin Mclean was chased through town in a taxi as he ran for his life when he was set upon by violent duo Stephen Doyle and Samuel Bullen.
He was eventually caught and savagely beaten, and he later said the effects of the attack have ruined his life.
Now Doyle, 29, and Bullen, 22, have been sent to jail for the attack in Torquay, Devon, thanks to this CCTV footage that was meticulously pieced together by police.
This shocking video shows two vicious thugs pursuing and attacking a victim for trying to defend a woman after she was headbutted in Torquay, Devon
Stephen Doyle, 29, (left) and Samuel Bullen, 22,(right) have now been sent to jail for the attack thanks to CCTV footage that was meticulously pieced together by police
Exeter Crown Court heard violence escalated in a fast food takeaway when Doyle headbutted local woman Denise Sloan, who is standing with Mr Mclean before he valiantly steps in to defend her.
Mr Mclean throws one punch which sends Doyle staggering backwards, dazed, before he regains his senses and launches after him.
The victim then makes a quick dash for the exit and jumps in a waiting cab to make his escape back to his hotel, a Travelodge in nearby Paignton.
But Doyle and Bullen already know where Mr Mclean is staying and go after him in their own cab.
In a cruel twist of fate, Mr Mclean’s taxi makes a wrong turn and arrives at the hotel 31 seconds after the vicious thugs.
Mr Mclean then runs for his life but is eventually caught before being beaten, and was later found unconscious lying in the road by a taxi driver on January 11.
He spent five days in intensive care in hospital, and suffered swelling and bleeding to the brain, a severely torn ear, broken ribs, perforated lung and a fractured eye socket.
The violent duo chased Colin Mclean town in a taxi as he ran for his life. Mclean was eventually caught and savagely beaten, and he later said the effects of the attack have ruined his life
Exeter Crown Court heard violence escalated in a fast food takeaway when Doyle headbutted local woman Denise Sloan, who is standing with Mr Mclean before he valiantly steps in to defend her
He had a titanium plate fitted to his face and still suffers from poor vision and may need more surgery to his ear.
He is also unable to drive which may cause problems working in the future.
The self-employed electrician said in a statement: ‘My life has become a living nightmare. My life before has been completely destroyed.
‘I know my attackers will forget about me, but I will never forget what they did to me.
‘The effects of this assault will never leave me. I am reminded of this every day, and will be for the rest of my life.
‘I just want to forget it all, but I know I never will.’
Exeter Crown Court heard that Mr Mclean, from Liverpool, was visiting Paignton and while out for a drink in The Spinning Wheel he heard fellow northern accents, belonging to Doyle and Bullen.
The victim introduced himself and the three can be seen laughing and joking in the pub, and later they ended up in the same fast food restaurant.
Police assembled all the footage into a single video which was shown during the trial and helped Recorder Malcolm Galloway piece together the sequence of events before jailing the thugs
While in the eatery, Doyle and Bullen are seen using a punching machine and getting more and more aggressive before the night descended into violence.
Doyle, who led the assault, was jailed for eight years and two months after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm.
Bullen, who joined in the chase and the kicking, was jailed for one year and eight months after pleading guilty to actual bodily harm without intent.
A network of ten cameras followed every moment of the terrifying pursuit, from the moment they first met to the victim’s desperate attempt to flee.
Eight private and public CCTV cameras followed their movements and two Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras helped police find the two taxi drivers who were unwittingly caught up in the incident.
Police assembled all the footage into a single video which was shown during the trial and helped Recorder Malcolm Galloway piece together the sequence of events before jailing the thugs.
A network of ten cameras followed every moment of the terrifying pursuit, from the moment they first met to the victim’s desperate attempt to flee
Eight private and public CCTV cameras followed their movements and two Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras helped police find the two taxi drivers who were unwittingly caught up in the incident
After the sentencing on Friday, Detective Constable Tim Platt praised Mr Mclean’s bravery and strength.
He said: ‘Doyle and Bullen have shown themselves to be mindless, violent criminals with no regard for the consequences of their actions or the impact this has had on the life of Mr Mclean and his family.
‘It was the CCTV and the impact it had that underpinned the key evidence and helped secure the length of sentence handed down.
‘It really shows the value of good quality CCTV to a police investigation.’