Yobs who left a man unconscious with five fractured ribs after he confronted them over repeated banging on his door late at night have been spared jail.

Following what was described as effectively a game of 'knock down ginger', the group senselessly reacted to Stephen Reilly’s ire by slapping him and then landing multiple kicks as he lay on the ground.

Part of the mindless assault in Ashford in May 2022 was even filmed by one of the three teenagers - aged 17 at the time - on his phone.

As well as rib injuries, the victim lost a tooth and faced a dental bill running into several thousands.

He later told police he was left feeling angry with teenagers in general and feared "worse" consequences for anyone who stood up to them.

But a judge has now said the almost three-year delay in court proceedings had given those involved in the "random thuggery" - Callum Gasper-Phelan, Darragh Browne and Jack Hinwood - a chance to prove themselves and ultimately avoid being locked up.

This was despite Gasper-Phelan, now 20, having racked up convictions for weapon and battery offences since the attack and also being in the dock at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday, January 24, for an unrelated assault on a 15-year-old boy.

Prosecutor Peter Forbes described how on May 1, 2022, Mr Reilly and his wife were at their home in David Henderson Avenue when they heard banging on their front door in, as well as the kicking and hitting of a glass pane.

This continued for more than an hour, he said, and led to Mr Reilly’s wife going outside at about 11pm to speak to those responsible, telling them "Come on boys, enough is enough. Would you do this to your mum or grandmother?".

The prosecutor told the court the defendants were not aggressive towards her and when her husband also appeared outside they ran away.

Violence flared however after he followed and confronted them, saying "What the f*** do you think you're doing, you little s***s. F*** off!", added Mr Forbes.

Mr Forbes continued: "Having then been slapped by Callum Gasper-Phelan, [the victim] defended himself and caught one and then the others went for him," he told the court.

"He was struck from behind in the back by Jack Hinwood, who had been seen to drop-kick the victim from behind, and knocked him down.

"He was kicked on the ground to his face, back and chest and said the person who had hit him first - Callum Gasper-Phelan - was also involved in kicking him.

"Darragh Browne was kicking him to the head and side. Darragh Browne also had his phone in his hand and it later became apparent the incident had, in part, been filmed."

Photographs of his injuries from the numerous blows, said Mr Forbes, were "quite startling".

"He had multiple rib fractures to five ribs and lost a tooth. He had severe bruising to his face, including a black eye and grazing," he continued.

"He had emergency dental treatment but it was not possible to replace the tooth and later had to have a denture fitted, costing him in excess of £3,000.

"The victim was attacked by a group, kicked on the floor and knocked unconscious. This was a prolonged and persistent assault.

Mr Reilly was not at court to see his attackers sentenced but in a statement to police made two days after the incident and read to the court he described its impact.

"It's made me more angry towards teenagers - mainly males but females are just as bad," he said. "I feel like I want to do something to get them under control."

But he added: "If someone stands up against them, what happens next might be worse."

‘If someone stands up against them, what happens next might be worse...’

Following their arrests, Hinwood, now 20 and of Littlestone, New Romney, told police he had given the victim "a light kick to the back".

Browne, now 19 and of East Stour Way, Willesborough, gave a 'no comment' interview.

Gasper-Phelan, of Scholars Way, Ashford, said he had been knocking on people's doors "because he thought it was funny", the prosecutor told the court.

But he claimed Mr Reilly had raised his fists at one of his friends and then himself, and so he acted in self-defence with a light push to the face.

All three were initially charged with causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent, which they denied and faced a trial.

But before that was due to go ahead the prosecution accepted guilty pleas to the less serious, alternative offence of causing GBH entered first by Browne, then Hinwood and finally Gasper-Phelan.

It was at an earlier hearing in February last year, when Gasper-Phelan had not yet admitted involvement in any violence, that his lawyer Phil Rowley told the court the youths had been playing "what we would call a game of knock down ginger" - a prank where someone knocks on a door but runs away before it is answered.

Gasper-Phelan's previous convictions, notched up between 2022 and last year, include possessing an air weapon in a public place, possessing bladed articles, criminal damage, burglary, theft and battery.

It was in April 2023 that he and three other youths were involved in the robbery and assault of a 15-year-old boy in Ashford's Memorial Gardens after accusing him of stealing a bike.

Detailing that incident, Mr Forbes said the victim was grabbed from behind by one of his assailants, hit to the head by Gasper-Phelan and Jayden Andrews, and then threatened with a hammer by the fourth teenager in order to force him to hand over a neck chain.

Gasper-Phelan admitted assault causing actual bodily harm (ABH), while Andrews, 19, and of Orchid Court, Kingsnorth, Ashford, pleaded guilty to ABH and robbery.

He appeared at the same sentencing hearing on January 24.

Before deciding their fates, Judge Simon Taylor KC told Gasper-Phelan, Browne and Hinwood that in what was a "complex and unusual" case they had been children at the time of their offending.

The judge also referred to Gasper-Phelan, who has been diagnosed with autism, ADHD, bipolar and oppositional defiant disorder, having served a spell behind bars since the attack as well as the equivalent of an eight-month custodial term on a curfew.

In that time, Mr Rowley told the court, his client had "stayed away from further trouble and led a more productive life".

Furthermore, Judge Taylor remarked that although court delays were "detrimental and harmful" for many, they had enabled him to put the case "in context".

He said the offence therefore could be seen as "an aberration" for Browne and Hinwood - who have no previous convictions - while for Gasper-Phelan it was "part of conduct that has now ceased".

Handing each of them a 12-month community order, he said: "Almost three years have passed since the commission of the earliest offence and each of you was a child at the time.

"What I have read about you is that your lives have moved on. You have obtained employment, become fathers, and you, Mr Gasper-Phelan, have experienced a custodial sentence.

"All that would have changed who you are and changed you from who you were when you committed the offence."

The judge remarked that there was "optimism" for Gasper-Phelan's future, highlighted Browne's remorse and "active" co-parenting, and said Hinwood had proved "there is more to you than random teenage thuggery".

"One of the benefits of the delay is that I can avoid sending you to prison and you have had the opportunity to grow," he said.

As part of their sentences, Gasper-Phelan must complete 60 hours of unpaid work and up to 25 rehabilitation activity requirements (RAR).

Browne has to undertake 130 hours of unpaid work and 20 RAR, while Hinwood was handed 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 RAR.

The judge also ordered compensation totalling £4,645, with £645 paid by Gasper-Phelan, £1,800 by Browne and £2,200 by Hinwood.

The amounts, he said, were tailored to their financial means rather than the differing roles they played that night. All sums must be paid by September 1.

Andrews, for his part in the robbery and assault, was also given a 12-month community order with 35 RAR but because he was said to be unfit to carry out unpaid, he was made subject to an eight-month tagged curfew between 8pm and 4am instead.

Before the four left the dock, Judge Taylor concluded: "This is a very positive sentence I'm passing on you in the sense I'm looking at the future and looking to rehabilitate you. Please do take this opportunity."

The two other teens involved in the Memorial Gardens incident, one just 15, had been dealt with by the courts previously.

One was given a community order with 60 hours' unpaid work and the youngest was handed a referral order.