Merchant sailor Martin Brooke returned home to Kent after a stint at sea "flush with cash"... and decided to celebrate being back on dry land.

But he fell in with a "bad crowd" in Ashford who fleeced him out of much of his £6,000 savings within a month.

And when the money ran out, three of them – including a 19-year-old from Kennington – took him on a terrifying drive into the country at knifepoint.

There he was subjected to a humiliating beating, stabbed SEVEN times - before being dumped bleeding in the street by Anthony Deeprose, who had promised to house him for the night.

His heartless attackers – who forced him back into a car after the sustained beating - then ordered him to sit in such a position "so he didn't bleed over the seats".

Now Deeprose, of Beecholme Drive, Kennington, has now been jailed for two years and 10 months after he admitted inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The teenager - father of a three-year-old child - would later tell probation officers he deserved to go to prison for the unprovoked attack.

Deeprose said: "I had been drinking. I am sorry for what I did. I know what I did was wrong. I think it right that I go to prison."

His barrister Paul Hogben said: "He is now deeply remorseful and offers no excuses."

"this was thoroughly nasty, gratuitous violence... – recorder colin reese qc

But the judge, Recorder Colin Reese QC, told him: "This was thoroughly nasty, gratuitous violence. You drove this terrified man to a relatively deserted area in the middle of the night before carrying out a sustained knife attack."

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the victim had just returned from being at sea "for some time" when he met Deeprose and some of his friends in December 2011.

The judge said Mr Brook went out on the town "flush with money", which was about £6,000 in wages.

"Over the course of the month he had come into company of a number of people and had been, so I am told, in effect, robbed of £1,000 and then to lend, in inverted commas, more than £2,000 to other people."

On December 16, Mr Brook had gone out with Deeprose who became angry after asking for a £100 loan.

The victim said he needed access to a computer to arrange the loan – but instead Deeprose and two pals took him on a "terrifying" journey, which began with two unprovoked punches in the back of the car.

The judge added: "You then took Mr Brook to a quiet place where he could be threatened, beaten up and knifed.

"He was forced to go into a field where he was attacked, his pockets were picked, you then punched him to the ground before producing a knife and stabbing him on the arms and shoulders.

"You did this while you were making threats to kill him. It was thoroughly nasty, gratuitous violence and he must have been truly terrified. You then humilated him by telling him to sit in such a position so as not to bleed over the car seats."

Deeprose then forced his victim back into the car – and drove him to a place where the gang told him he would be locked in a shed.

However, later Mr Brook was left "in the middle of nowhere" and had to beg a passerby to use his mobile to alert the police.

The victim was later treated for a fractured nose, numerous bruises and seven stab wounds, the court heard.