A party-goer has been jailed for an attack which he carried out while dressed as a Smurf.

Luke Batchelor was with a friend dressed as Superman when he knocked out three men.

Batchelor, 20, was wearing a Smurf outfit and blue make-up when he laid out two of his victims with a metal baseball bat.

He also drove his car at a third reveller sending him flying over the bonnet and knocking him out.

Batchelor, who is 5ft 4ins tall, was at the head of a gang of ten youths aged 17 to 20 who cornered Rob Claridge and Simon Hornsby in the car park at the Battle of Trafalgar pub in Portslade.

Mr Claridge tried to escape but ran into a bollard and fell over where Batchelor battered him across the back knocking him out as he lay on the ground.

Mr Hornsby was struck on the head and also knocked out as he tried to help his friend, Hove Crown Court was told.

Dale Sullivan, prosecuting, said Keith Kesteven tried to restrain Batchelor who escaped and jogged off.

Mr Sullivan said: “A few minutes later a small red car driven by the defendant arrived at the pub.

“Batchelor was wearing a blue Smurf outfit and had blue make-up on. His passenger was also distinctively dressed and was wearing a Superman outfit.

“The defendant deliberately drove at Mr Kesteven, hitting his legs and knocking him up and over the bonnet, rendering him unconscious.”

Batchelor, of Hamilton Close, Portslade, admitted causing actual bodily harm, dangerous driving and possessing an offensive weapon.

Ivan Krolick, defending, said Bachelor had been at a New Year's Eve party at his mother's house but had gone out to meet friends for a drink.

He said: “He was dressed as a blue Smurf and nobody goes out to battle dressed as a blue Smurf.

“This was not something he intended to do and he got caught up in what was happening.

“There was an earlier incident and it is only when he saw his friends being attacked that he joined in.”

Judge Austin Issard-Davies jailed Batchelor for three years. He was also banned from driving for three years.

He said: “You with friends, and for no reason which has ever been made clear, set about three men one after the other.

“You were using a baseball bat in two of those cases and in the third you used your car as a weapon.

“You set about those three men with such violence that all three adult males were rendered unconscious.”