A pensioner was savagely beaten when he confronted a man who had "smashed" his way into his motorhome.

Joseph Charlott knocked the 77-year-old to the floor and kicked him after he tried to defend his property.

The pensioner suffered a fractured shoulder blade, fractured ribs and a fractured chest bone during the break-in, in Malvern Way in Hastings.

Lewes Crown Court heard that the 22-year-old was already known to police before the attack on May 12, 2023, after he spat at a police officer and had been found with a knuckleduster 24 hours earlier.

He was found guilty by a jury of four offences following a three-day trial which concluded at Lewes Crown Court.

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The 22-year-old of Deepdene Gardens in Hastings was remanded in custody to appear before the same court on Tuesday 26 November.

There, he was sentenced to a total of five years’ imprisonment, plus three years on extended licence, for causing grievous bodily harm with intent, assaulting an emergency worker, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage.

Jake O’Reilly, temporary detective sergeant, said: “Sussex Police were alerted to a violent assault on Malvern Way, Hastings, that had left a 77-year-old man in hospital facing serious injuries, including a fractured shoulder blade, fractured ribs and a fractured chest bone.

“The named suspect, Jospeh Charlott, was known to Sussex Police after he had spat at an officer in custody and had been found in possession of a knuckleduster only 24 hours earlier.

“Following this more serious incident, a police investigation followed, and evidence was recovered from a variety of sources that confirmed Charlott had smashed his way into the victim’s motorhome on 12 May 2023.

“When he was then confronted by its owner who phoned the police, Charlott responded with a flurry of violence that culminated in him knocking the victim to the floor and repeatedly kicking him while he was lying defenceless on the ground. 

“Charlott then went on the run from May until August 2023 and when he was finally located by officers, he jumped out of a second story window and violently fought off three officers.

“This level of violence against a vulnerable member of the public protecting his property and then on police officers performing their lawful duty is indefensible. I’m glad to see that, on hearing the evidence, the jury convicted Charlott and HHJ Gold KC has now given him an extended sentence due to his dangerous nature.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the many teams across Sussex Police who worked tirelessly to investigate, locate, arrest and charge Charlott, and I hope his sentence will offer some closure for the victims.”