The family of a man beaten up outside a fast-food restaurant has spoken out against the sentence passed on his attackers.

Despite surveillance camera footage showing the assault on David Brown, known as Tom, his attackers - Samuel Paculabo, 29, and a youth who cannot be named for legal reasons - were spared a prison term by Eastbourne magistrates last month.

The defendants instead received community service orders and were ordered to pay £75 each in compensation.

Tom's father Raymond Brown, of Mill Road, Eastbourne, condemned the sentence.

He said: "They were very lucky to have got off so lightly because they attacked someone for no reason. We are just pleased he wasn't more hurt - he could have been killed.

"We are looking at compensation but the police haven't mentioned anything so we are in the dark at the moment."

Tom's uncle Desmond Brown, of Leslie Street, Eastbourne, said he was astonished his nephew's attackers were not jailed.

He said: "I couldn't believe it when they walked out of the court smiling. They spend so much money on these CCTV cameras then those two didn't even get a smack on the wrist."

Mr Brown said Tom, 24, kept himself to himself and had recently qualified as an electrician.

He was set upon by the pair in Terminus Road, Eastbourne, in February.

Mr Brown said: "I was threatened almost every night when I was driving a taxi and gave up doing nights.

"I was beaten up and the police couldn't do much about it then. The police do their job, the cameras do theirs and they walk out of court."

Christos Christou, who defended Paculabo and the other defendant, said the pair had been on a drinking binge and had never behaved like that before.

They had been horrified when they saw CCTV footage of themselves and had apologised.