A man was stamped on and kicked in a sickening revenge attack.

Christopher Challenor was repeatedly attacked by a group of five friends led by Luke Tuffin.

They claimed he had earlier punched Tuffin's girlfriend Sarah Dighton, giving her a black eye.

A judge described the attack as "appalling" after watching CCTV footage of it today.

Marcus Fletcher, prosecuting, said punches, kicks and stamps rained down on the victim after he fell in front of cars on Hastings seafront on September 9 last year.

The attack happened after Dighton, 18, had intervened in an incident involving Mr Challenor and his girlfriend.

Police called to the scene noticed Dighton, of The Marina, St Leonards, had an injury to her eye.

She used her mobile phone to call Tuffin, 20, also of The Marina, St Leonards.

They and three juveniles, who cannot be named for legal reasons, later launched the attack on Mr Challenor at the junction of White Rock and Robertson Street, Hastings.

He suffered bruises and grazes to his head, chest and sides, Hove Crown Court heard.

All five pleaded guilty to causing actual bodily harm at earlier hearings and appeared for sentence yesterday (MON).

Tuffin punched the victim to the ground and kicked him in the head.

A 16-year-old boy joined in punching Mr Challenor and stamping on his head eight times.

A girl of the same age stamped on his head so hard her shoe came off and punched him while he was standing up.

A 17-year-old girl kicked Mr Challenor and also stamped on him around his head.

Dighton waded in hitting the victim with her handbag and a shoe.

Julian Dale, defending the 16-year-old who did most of the stamping, said the boy was horrified when he saw CCTV footage of the attack.

Mr Dale added: "He asked to be remanded in custody until he was sentenced because he feels he deserves to be in prison.

"He is deeply ashamed and has shown genuine remorse for the victim."

Rebecca Upton, defending Tuffin and Dighton, said Tuffin was also remorseful.

She added that Tuffin works as a casual labourer and is the father of Dighton's two-year-old daughter.

Miss Upton said Dighton had been injured in the earlier incident but had not been involved in kicking or punching the victim.

Tuffin was jailed for 12 months and Dighton, who is five months pregnant, was given a two-year supervision order. She will also have to do 160 hours unpaid community work.

The 16-year-old boy was sentenced to four months in a young offenders institute and the time he has already spent in custody was taken into account.

The remaining two girls were each given three year supervision orders.

Judge Hayward told them: "This was an appalling incident and however serious Mr Challenor's behaviour might have been it cannot possibly justify a group attack of five onto one in public on the streets of Hastings."