TWO young men were seen smirking on CCTV as they fled the scene of a fight where they left two brothers for dead.

Elliot Bourdon-Pierre, 24, and Matthew Smith, 22, launched an unprovoked attack on brothers Andrew and Brian Hill at a Hastings taxi rank after a night out in February.

Andrew suffered four fractured ribs and his brother died from a bleed on the brain. His head hit the ground after he was punched, a court was told.

Bourdon-Pierre and Smith are both on trial at Lewes Crown Court accused of GBH and manslaughter.

CCTV footage from a taxi showed the pair attacking the brothers – including the sound of a loud thud as Brian Hill’s head hit the floor.

Bourdon-Pierre and Smith then fled the scene, running to another taxi rank. They could be seen smirking and laughing in footage from the taxi’s on board camera.

Opening the case against them Simon Taylor prosecuting said: “Brian and Andrew Hill were brothers and would regularly socialise together.

“It’s clear form the evidence the defendants started the confrontation, initially being verbally abusive, then spoiling for a fight, then engaging in an assault on the Hill brothers, throwing punches towards Brian and Andrew.

“They each inflicted blows which were captured on CCTV from a taxi standing at the rank.

“It’s likely there were other blows not captured on the CCTV footage.

“Both Brian and Andrew were struck down.

“both men were in it together.

“Having assaulted the Hill brothers both defendants doubled back on themselves to a different taxi rank and got into a taxi that drove past the scene of the assault.

Mr Taylor said that Andrew Hill suffered significant injuries, including four fractured ribs and signs of post traumatic amnesia suggesting he had suffered a head injury.

He said a pathologist considered his broken ribs ”injuries typical from a kick or a stamp, punches could not be excluded, but must have been with extreme force given the span of the ribs.”

Mr Taylor told the jury that Brian Hill suffered a fractured jaw, bruising and bleeding on the brain.

The pathologist concluded: “His injuries indicated an accelerated and unprotected fall on to the back of the head that resulted in bruising and bleeding to the brain.

“Evidence of a forceful impact to the left-hand side of the jaw is in keeping with the impact that caused the fall.

“You could typically see the injuries caused by one punch.”

Smith, of Piltdown Close, Hastings, and Bourdon-Pierre, of Udimore Road, Rye, both deny manslaughter and GBH.

The trial continues.