A THUG who beat a man with his own walking stick in a “serious and sustained attack” has been jailed.

Dylan White, 22, attacked the man after an argument in a McDonald's.

Both left the restaurant but returned moments later and White laid into the 53-year-old, hitting him with the walking stick even after he had fallen to the ground.

Someone intervened and White fled. Police found the walking stick in a nearby recycling bin.

The injured man was taken to hospital with a bleed on the brain, a cut head, fractured fingers and bruising to his body. He remained in hospital for several days.

White was arrested over the attack which happened in Wellington Place, Hastings, on March 19, 2019.

The Argus: He pleaded guilty on June 14 this yearHe pleaded guilty on June 14 this year

At Lewes Crown Court on June 14 this year he pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent.

White, unemployed, of Rugby Road in Dagenham, was remanded in custody until sentencing, which was adjourned to allow two other charges against him to be heard.

He was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs after officers arrested him for being involved in a suspected drugs deal in November 2018.

White was found in possession of a key to a room in a local guest house and a search of the room found 63 wraps of heroin and 81 wraps of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of around £1,500.

He was also charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs after police dismantled a county line being run by him from East London to Hastings.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police executed a search warrant at his address in Dagenham on March 9 this year.

White was found in possession of a phone that was sending out bulk messages to drug users, advertising that he had class A drugs for sale and would travel to Hastings to sell them.

When presented with overwhelming evidence against him, White pleaded guilty to both drugs charges as well.

On Monday, he appeared at Lewes Crown Court and was sentenced to a total of seven years and nine months for all three offences.

Bernadette Peters, of Hastings CID, said: “The level of violence shown by White towards the victim was extreme and relentless. The victim in this case died a few months after the attack due to unrelated matters, but we still continued with our investigation to ensure a dangerous offender was brought to justice.”

Have you got a story for us? Email news@theargus.co.uk or contact us here.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news.

Sign up to our newsletter to get updates sent straight to your inbox.

You can also call us on 01273 021 400.