Two men jailed for a total of 22 years for ‘merciless’ beating of man in Derry two years ago
Kenneth Robert Ferguson, 30, from Leafair Gardens was sentenced to 12 years.
Sean Johnston, 35, with an address at Flora Gardens in London was locked up for 0 years.
The thugs – who have 65 previous convictions between them – were convicted in May of wounding the 26-year-old victim with intent and of falsely imprisoning him in July 2016.
Ferguson was also convicted of threatening to kill the man and then dumping his body in a wheelie bin.
Johnston was acquitted of a further charge of possessing an offensive weapon.
The court heard that during the horrific attack in a flat the pair “laughed”.
Ferguson used a knife to cut the victim around the head and arms and pressed the knife against the victim’s chest and said: “I am going to punch a hole in your heart.”
The attack was sparked after Ferguson accused his victim of having an affair with his girlfriend.
The defendants and the victim were under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time. The man was attacked with an iron bar and a knife and sustained a fractured arm, multiple lacerations to his head and arms as well as multiple bruising and cuts. Both his legs were bruised and he had injuries to his chest.
Officers who arrived at the scene in Strathfoyle noted a stench of bleach coming from the kitchen and living room and that the flat had recently been cleaned.
The victim’s blood was found on the kitchen floor, on the outside rear window, on the living room door, on an armchair and on the remains of a mobile phone.
The Recorder of Derry His Honour Judge Philip Babington, who described the assault as a “merciless beating by two cowards”, said the victim took six months to recover the assault and had ongoing mental health problems.
As the pair were assessed by the Probation Service as a “high risk of reoffending”, the thugs were made the subject of a five year Violent Offences Prevention Order (VOPO) once they are freed from jail.
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