Two drunken youths who beat an innocent father-of-two to death - simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time - have been jailed for 15 and 12 years.
James Tierney had taken a shortcut home from his girlfriend's flat when he was cornered by hooded thugs Dale Duncan and Aisar Khan.
The pair challenged the 41-year-old to a fight and, when he refused, launched a savage beating.
They repeatedly hit Mr Tierney over the head with a piece of drainpipe which had been ripped from a nearby wall and, as their victim begged for mercy, they stamped on his face before he slipped into unconsciousness and they left him to die.
Mr Tierney, a tyre fitter, suffered multiple broken bones in his face, a broken voicebox and a brain haemorrhage. He was pronounced dead later in hospital.
Tests revealed it was most likely that the brain haemorrhage that killed him, but doctors said he could also have been a heart attack induced by having his voicebox crushed, or he may have drowned in his own blood.
Khan and Duncan were today convicted of murder and jailed for life. Khan must serve a minimum 15 years whilst Duncan will serve 12 years before being considered for parole.
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