Three men have been jailed for carrying out a "concerted and cowardly" attack on a defenceless young man in an East Sussex pub.

The men - two brothers and a friend from Hastings - appeared at Hove Crown Court yesterday.

They had denied causing grievous bodily harm but were convicted by a jury last month.

They attacked customer Carl Fisher in the Royal Sussex pub in Hastings in August 2000.

Mr Fisher was punched in the face and knocked off a barstool during a lunchtime drink.

He was repeatedly kicked in the body and head as he lay on the ground. His jaw was fractured and had to be repaired using a metal plate.

Brothers Barry Barden, 25, of Eleanor Terrace, and Kevin Barden, 24, of Deepdene Gardens, were both sentenced to two years' imprisonment. Benjamin Loft, 22, of Old Roar Road, was jailed for 20 months.

Judge Charles Kemp told the three they had subjected Mr Fisher to an unprovoked and vicious attack.

He said: "Whatever the reason for the attack, it was wholly unjustified in my view. It was a concerted and cowardly attack on a defenceless young man."

During the trial, Barry Barden denied being at the pub and said he had an alibi. The two others admitted being there but said they took no part in the attack.

The court heard Barry Barden had previously served a nine-month jail term for biting a police officer's ear in March 2000. His brother also had previous convictions for assault.

Rebecca Upton, defending Barry Barden, said he had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder since he was 19 because he was seriously hurt in a road accident in which his step-brother died and later the same year his mother died.

James Lloyd, defending father-of-two Kevin Barden, said he started to drink heavily after his mother died. He said: "It is quite clear he very much lost his way."

Ian Hope, defending Loft, a trainee electrician, said he had no previous convictions for violence.

He said: "There was no real motive for him taking part."