Pair jailed for attacking man with crutch

Kyle Thompson and Ryan Wilson were jailed

Two men who left a man badly bruised and bloodied when they beat him with a crutch have been jailed.

Kyle Thompson, 29, and Ryan Wilson, 33, attacked their victim at his home in Sunderland in May, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Both admitted wounding without intent and were jailed for a year.

Thompson was also jailed for a further 10 months for dangerous driving, having crashed after a high-speed police pursuit through residential streets.

The court heard the victim of the assault did not want to make a complaint, but the beating was reported to police after his colleague saw him with extensive bruising and bleeding on his face.

A trawl of CCTV footage revealed the pair going into the man's home and police concluded a crutch had been used in the attack, prosecutors said.

Thompson was on bail at the time of the police pursuit, which happened on 4 April.

He was driving a Vauxhall Corsa, and fled when a police car pulled up behind him on Ryhope Road, in Sunderland, at about 23:30 BST, the court heard.

He reached speeds of up to 70mph in 30mph zones, flew through red lights, drove on the opposing side of the road and the wrong way around roundabouts before crashing into a parked van on Hunter Street.

He was arrested in the driver's seat and a roadside test showed he had cocaine and cannabis in his system, but Thompson refused to give a blood test at the police station as he claimed he was afraid of needles, prosecutors said.

Thompson, who also admitted failing to give a specimen and driving without a licence or insurance, was banned from driving for two years and 11 months and must take an extended test.