Marcus Hartley and Richard Lowry discovered their friend was a paedophile
They beat Anthony Bullough to a pulp on a deserted wasteland in Chorley
A police officer said he could not recognise Bullough when he saw him
He still remained in hospital six months after the attack
Marcus Hartley, who had previously assaulted his father, was jailed for life with a specified term of five-and-a-half years
A man has been jailed for life and another for 10 years following a vigilante attack which left a paedophile so badly injured he can no longer walk.
Marcus Hartley, 24, and Richard Lowry, 33, took the law into their own hands when they discovered their friend Anthony Bullough was a convicted child sex offender.
A police officer who knew Mr Bullough said he could not recognise him when he saw him unconscious on the ground.
Marcus Hartley, who had previously assaulted his father, was jailed for life with a specified term of five-and-a-half years
Marcus Hartley, who had previously assaulted his father, was jailed for life with a specified term of five-and-a-half years
The men met at the accommodation they shared for ex-offenders in Chorley, Lancashire and became friends, Preston Crown Court heard.
But when Hartley and Lowry discovered Mr Bullough's convictions were for possession of indecent images of children, their attitudes towards him changed.
They began to harass him, playing loud music and shouting insults at him through the door of his ground floor flat.
On November 3 last year, Hartley and Lowry were drinking and playing loud music in the flats upstairs from Mr Bullough.
Mr Bullough, who had previously spoken to the housing association about threats from his neighbours, became so concerned by their behaviour he climbed out of the window and fled the flat.
But Hartley and Lowry followed him and attacked him on wasteland close by.
Hartley punched him to the ground and the men set about punching and kicking him to the head and face in a brutal attack.
At around 1.50am on November 4, two workmen discovered Mr Bullough lying unresponsive on the ground.
He was taken to hospital in a coma and underwent CT scans which showed bleeding to his brain and fractures to his jaw, eye socket and cheekbones.
Six months after the attack Mr Bullough remains in hospital and needs assistance with walking and daily care.
He started eating solid food last month but is not expected to be able to leave hospital until June, at the earliest.
Hartley and Lowry pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and appeared at Preston Crown Court to be sentenced.
The Honorary Recorder of Preston, Judge Mark Brown, said: 'It was clearly a brutal, nasty and sustained assault and such was the nature of it that when he was observed lying unconscious in the street his injuries were so bad he could not be recognised.
'There was an element of premeditation, and certainly a sense of revenge because you understood him to be a convicted sex offender.
'You were taking the law into your own hands.'
Judge Brown said Hartley was a dangerous offender who had previously served a prison sentence for an attack on his own father.
He said: 'You have no victim empathy and you clearly have very serious issues with temper control and the situation is made worse because you are a heavy alcohol user.'
Lowry had convictions for domestic violence and arson, the court heard.
Judge Brown jailed Hartley for life with a specified term of five and a half years. Lowry was jailed for 10 years.
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