Shocking pictures show the aftermath of a vicious assault that saw an aspiring motorcyclist left in a coma and needing to learn to walk again.
Mitchell Gibbons was 20 when he was set on by Mohammed Aseeb Ali, 23, and Uzair Bhatti, 31, after a night out in Preston city centre in February 2020.
Ali punched Mitchell from behind and knocked him unconscious after an argument broke out between a group of men, Lancashire Police said,
As Mitchell lay defenceless on the floor, Bhatti kicked him twice in the head and spat on him before making off with a third man, Dhanyal Hussain.
Mitchell was placed in a coma for two weeks and underwent extensive surgery which resulted in half of his skull being removed to alleviate the pressure on his brain.
Gruesome pictures - released today by police after Ali and Bhatti were sentenced - show the extent of his injuries.
One picture shows Mitchell in a hospital bed connected to wires, while others show the permanent scarring to his head and stomach.
He had to learn to walk and talk again after recovering from his traumatic ordeal, police said.
In a victim impact statement read to the court Mitchell said the attack had destroyed his confidence and ruined his dream of racing a bike in the Isle of Man TT race.
And he said he had been left self- conscious about his appearance.
Ali and Bhatti were given a two-year jail term, suspended for 18 months, after they admitted wounding. They were also given 180 hours unpaid work.
Hussain was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended, for assisting an offender.
