Two thugs who terrorised a teenager in his home and viciously attacked his father have each been jailed for eight years.

Barry Bonner and Paul Dudley laid into Thomas Lawton, smashing a chair over his head and beating him with the legs.

Bonner grabbed a meat cleaver from the kitchen at the victim’s Snodland home and threatened to give him and his son “Chelsea smiles” – a reference to a form of torture in which the corners of the mouth are cut.

Mr Lawton was said to have suffered seizures since the assault, but a judge said he could not take it into consideration when passing sentence because there was no supporting medical evidence.

Bonner, of Square Hill Road, Maidstone, and Dudley, of Tithe Mews, Harrietsham, admitted attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Lawton’s 16-year-old son was in a relationship with Bonner’s estranged daughter.

He went to the flat in Simpson Road in an attempt to give her Christmas presents in December last year.

Mr Lawton told him he was not welcome there and asked him to leave. They ended up fighting.

Then on January 19 this year, the son was at home alone while his father, an alcoholic, was at Snodland Working Men’s Club.

Bonner, 41, and Dudley, 33, arrived. Dudley told Bonner to “grab a tool” and he went into the kitchen and returned with the 8in long meat cleaver.

Prosecutor Bridget Todd said the blade was held out to the teenager and he was told to get into the living rom. Bonner said he knew his daughter would be visiting and he would be able to see her.

The teenager replied that she did not want to see him. More threats were made with Bonner saying: “If you carry on, I will give you and your dad Chelsea smiles.”

“If you carry on, I will give you and your dad Chelsea smiles...” - Barry Bonner

“He said he would stab his dad when he got home,” said Miss Todd.

Mr Lawton returned and was immediately attacked. Bonner tried to stab him with the cleaver. The teenager managed to climb out of a window to escape.

Dudley picked up a wooden chair and broke it over the victim’s head. Bonner grabbed one of the legs and struck Mr Lawton with it.

Mr Lawton picked up one of the legs and started swinging it and shouting as loud as he could to attract attention. Bonner struck him on the side of the head.

A tussle continued before Dudley said “leave it” and they fled. The police arrested the two men at the local railway station.

Miss Todd said the victim suffered bruising to his face, head, ribs and ankle. He attended hospital twice but did not stay to see a doctor.

He had been left with permanent clicking in his neck and claimed he had suffered seizures.

Eve George, for Bonner, said the father-of-two had “acted in a very serious manner indeed” and wanted to express his sincere apologies.”

Because of the violence he would never see his daughter, which upset him, added Miss George.

Kieron Brand, for Dudley, said his client had an unattractive record of 34 convictions for 54 offences. His life was blighted by heroin use since the age of 14, but he had since “cleaned himself up”.

He had ongoing mental health issues, being diagnosed with chronic paranoia. He was a carer for his eight-year-old daughter after his partner overdosed on drugs.

Recorder Matthew McDonagh said Bonner and Dudley had set about Mr Lawton with considerable force.

“At any stage he could have been stabbed with potentially the most catastrophic result,” he told them. “It is clear it had a real impact on him, and will continue to do so.

“It was a sustained and repeated attack which took many minutes. You armed yourself with a potentially lethal knife and were prepared to use it. You were acting as a team throughout.”