A CALLOUS thug who almost killed a friend in a brutal attack has been jailed for 16 years.

Trevor Hunt, from Littlehampton, left his pal with a life-changing brain injury and other horrendous injuries on May 20 last year.

Police scanned the 35-year-old’s Facebook profile and found a picture of the victim’s face, along with a video of Hunt with blood-drenched knuckledusters, filmed just hours after the attack.

The friend, also 47, had almost all his ribs broken from the assault and the bruising and swelling to his face made him almost unrecognisable.

He also suffered memory loss and cannot remember the incident.

Witnesses began to come forward and police obtained a warrant to search Hunt’s flat in Wick Street.

It is believed he was under the influence of drink and/or drugs at the time of the attack.

Officers searched the flat and found the blood of his victim splattered over the walls, furniture, ceiling, clothing and shoes belonging to Hunt.

He was arrested and charged on May 30 after police found him in a tent in Littlehampton.

Hunt denied assaulting his friend and blamed others, but a jury unanimously saw past his lies at Portsmouth Crown Court after an eight-day trial last November.

He was handed 16 years in prison with a five-year extended licence for grievous bodily harm with intent at the same court last Friday.

Judge Roger Hetherington, sentencing, told Hunt: “This was a serious attack on a friend who was in no position to defend himself.

“You beat him to a pulp, raining blows to his body and head over a period of several hours.

“The injuries you caused were a broken nose, fracture to the lower eye socket, all ribs broken on both sides except the first, blood in the chest cavity, bruising to both kidneys and a traumatic brain injury, which when shown on a scan portrayed the trauma you would expect from a road traffic collision.

“Not content with that you humiliated the victim by advertising his injuries via photographs and videos posted to Facebook.

“The reason why the sentence is so high is down to previous crimes, the gratuitous degradation of the victim, the severity of the injuries caused, concealing evidence and preventing the victim from seeking medical assistance.”

Detective Constable Claire Mitchell, of Sussex Police, said: “Hunt sustained a lengthy attack on the victim showing a complete disregard for him and instead of calling for an ambulance while he lay injured in his flat, he documented an attempted defence story on Facebook.

“Hunt lied consistently throughout the trial in a bid to cover his tracks and showed little remorse to someone who was well-known to him.

“He is a dangerous and callous man and this sentence has allowed justice to be served.

“We would like to thank the staff on the Eartham Ward at Worthing Hospital, Kerwin Court and Victim Support for the care given to his victim.

“We would also like to thank the local Littlehampton community for having the courage to come forward with witness accounts, which aided us in our investigation tremendously.”