A "HORRENDOUS" assault in Shanklin that left a teenager with multiple fractures to the face and head resulted in jail for one of the attackers.

Danny Stretch, 27, of Woodhill Close, Ryde, was given 16 months for the vicious attack that took place in June 2017 at Green Lane, Shanklin.

Also involved in the attack was Declan Clarke, 18, of Badgers Close, Wroxall, but he was spared jail because he was a youth at the time of the attack and he handed himself in to police two days after.

Stretch, who threw the first punch, has a history of criminal convictions and initially denied the assault to police.

Both pleaded guilty in court to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Prosecuting, Rose Burns told the Isle of Wight Crown Court that Callum Finnis, who was 17 at the time of the assault, was riding his bicycle home when he was stopped by Stretch and Clarke.

The pair repeatedly punched the teenager in a sustained and unprovoked attack and then Stretch took Mr Finnis' bicycle, the court heard.

Mr Finnis flagged down a car that took him home and his mother found him gushing blood. An ambulance was called and after being seen at St Mary's Hospital, Mr Finnis was transferred to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth for specialist treatment.

Scans revealed multiple fractures in Mr Finnis' face, forehead, eye socket and nose.

In a victim impact statement read out in court, Mr Finnis said that for three to four weeks he could not see properly and he suffered with nosebleeds for a long time.

He also had to take two months off work and lost out on earnings.

Stretch and Clarke both admitted to being drunk when they attacked Mr Finnis.

At the time of the attack, Stretch was subject to a court order for a previous conviction

Defending Stretch, Nicola Talbot Hadley, told the court that alcohol was the underlying cause of his criminal offending and he was working to address that.

"He is horrified by what has happened," she said.

Sentencing the pair, recorder Jane Rowley said: "This was an unprovoked assault on a vulnerable youth who was alone at night.

"It was a horrendous assault that left him with significant injuries.

"Mr Finnis' mother was in shock when she saw her son at the door with blood gushing from his face.

"Clarke, I give you credit for facing up to the horror of what you did and handing yourself in to police.

"Stretch, you are in a very different position. You have a propensity for violence and you initially tried to run from the truth."

Recorder Rowley sentenced Stretch to 16 months imprisonment and Clarke 10 months suspended for 18 months with 20 days rehabilitation activities.