Two hoodies who slashed a man’s neck with broken bottles made a grovelling apology to their victim in court - and were then jailed for seven years each.

Alex Kostin was lucky not to have bled to death from the wounds the two thugs inflicted on him.

A judge described the attack by Daniel Cherret and Joshua Haugh as shocking and cowardly.

Judge David Rennie made them apologise in person to Mr Kostin before he jailed them both for seven years.

Haugh turned to Mr Kostin, who was sitting just feet from the dock with his partner Deborah Langan, at Hove Crown Court.

He said: “I am genuinely very sorry for what I did to you.”

Cherret said: “ I am truly, truly sorry. I don't know how to tell you how sorry I am, but I am.”

Mr Kostin challenged Haugh, Cherret and Kyle Scutt after his van windows were smashed on July 17.

He saw what happened from his partner's flat in Mendip Road, Worthing, and called police.

He then went out and told the three teenagers to stay where they were until officers arrived.

Haugh and Cherret smashed beer bottles they had been drinking from and used them to slash their victim across the head, neck and chest.

Mr Kostin was punched to the ground where the attack by all three teenagers continued.

Ms Langan and her 16-year-old son Josh saw what was happening from the window of their flat.

Richard Barton, prosecuting, said: “Josh Langan bravely went out and tried to protect Mr Kostin. He was punched by Scutt.”

All three fled the scene but were arrested at Scutt's flat in Mendip Road.

Doctors told Mr Kostin he was lucky to survive the attack. He needed more than 30 stitches in his wounds and both he and Ms Langan have been badly affected by their ordeal.

The court heard that none of the teenagers had previous convictions for serious violence and had acted out of character after drinking.

Haugh, 19, of Hilden Close, Worthing, and Cherret, 18, of Roedean Road, Worthing, were jailed for seven years each after admitting intending to cause Mr Kostin grievous bodily harm.

Scutt, 18, of Mendip Road, Worthing, admitted criminal damage, affray and assaulting Josh Langan.

He was given a two year supervision order and must do 240 hours unpaid community work for his lesser part in the attack.

Judge Rennie told the court: “You could so easily have been facing a charge of murder were it not for a measure of good fortune.”