Euro 2016: Russian men jailed over England fan attack

Andrew Bache was left "disabled for life" by the attack, his lawyer said

Two Russian men have been jailed for attacking an England supporter who was severely injured when violence broke out at the Euro 2016 football contest.

Andrew Bache, 55, from Portsmouth, was left disabled following the attack in Marseille, France, his lawyer said.

Pavel Kossov, 34, was jailed for 10 years and Mikhail Ivkine, 34, for three years by the court in Aix-en-Provence.

Hours of street fights broke out at Marseille's old port following the England-Russia match on 11 June 2016.

Russian football fans "mounted an urban guerrilla offensive" against rival supporters, the court heard

The accused pair were among a group of Russian hooligans who "mounted an urban guerrilla offensive, like paramilitaries", the trial was told.

Video footage played in court showed Mr Bache being punched and kicked as he lay on the ground.

Mr Ivkine threw a metal chair at the England fan before Mr Kossov knocked him down with a punch to the back of the head, the court heard.

Mr Kossov then kicked him while a third unidentified attacker punched him as he lay vulnerable, the trial was told.

A medical expert, Michel Blanc, told the court it was a "wonder how [Mr Bache] is still alive".

'Grip of reality'

However, he said the initial punch from Mr Kossov could not fully explain the victim's "irreversible disorders".

Mr Kossov told the court he jabbed at Mr Bache's head with "a hand not a fist" while Mr Ivkine said he was acting in self-defence.

Psychologists found that Mr Kossov lacked empathy and "a grip of reality" while Mr Ivkine was "neurotic", the court was told.

The men were arrested in Germany in February 2018 while they were on their way to a Spartak Moscow match in Spain.

Mr Bache's lawyer said his client was too ill to give evidence at the hearing, which was attended by his son Harry.