Two men have been given lengthy jail terms after a vulnerable Kendal man was attacked with a dog toy, waterboarded and robbed.
Leigh Jonathon Dirkin, 31, and Peter Christopher Hall, 41, were members of a five-strong group who arrived at the flat unannounced, on July 10, 2022.
Dirkin, Hall and two others initially drank in his front room, sharing champagne, cider and lager.
But Hall, angered by the householder allegedly making a serious revelation, then picked up a dog toy and hit him in the face, splitting his lip, before delivering multiple punches which left the man seeing stars and feeling his nose crumble, Carlisle Crown Court heard today.
The man tried to leave his flat but found a chain was on the door. He was dragged back and subjected to further violence during the next two hours.
Others failed to help. Dirkin then joined the abuse by spitting and placing a flannel over the injured householder’s mouth before pouring in water — an act which Judge Michael Fanning observed was waterboarding and torture.
Dirkin took the man’s wallet, a smartphone and also made a failed bid to withdraw money from his empty account after obtaining his PIN.
Waking injured next morning, the man sought help from neighbours and was taken to hospital. A CT scan and X-ray confirmed his suspicion of a broken nose. His face, arms and torso were bruised, and there was an apparent footprint mark on his rib area.
In an impact statement, he described physical and mental pain in the aftermath. He’d sustained a badly scratched eye, detailed sharp headaches behind the eyes, told of awaiting an operation on a complex nasal fracture and his forehead being scarred.
“He is concerned he may be suffering from post traumatic stress disorder,” added prosecutor Andrew Evans.
Dirkin, of Farm Street, Barrow, admitted robbery while Hall, previously of Kendal, admitted actual bodily harm assault. Both men were said by defence barristers to be remorseful.
Judge Fanning referred to the victim’s statement as he referenced the waterboarding and torture. “With a broken nose and unable to breathe, he felt as if he was drowning,” he said. It had been persistent and prolonged violence, and Judge Fanning concluded: “There was gratuitous degradation of this victim.”
Dirkin was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, and Hall for 37 months.
