A group of thugs left a man with a broken jaw after he was beaten with a hammer and stamped on, before being robbed of a van.
The victim could barely open his mouth for weeks as a result of the violent, early morning attack in the Kirkton area of Dundee.
Scott Ney, 32, was identified through CCTV as one of the men responsible.
His DNA was also discovered on the wheel of the Ford Transit van.
Ney was hit with a hefty prison sentence after he admitted endangering the man’s life in the attack on Keswick Terrace.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how repeat offender Ney – jailed in January for raids on city supermarkets – approached the van with other men just before 3am.
The man had been lured to the street by an associate of Ney’s who had asked for a lift.
Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson said: “A group of males immediately approached and attacked the complainer’s van.
“They started throwing punches. The keys were taken.
“The complainer left the vehicle and was pursued by the group.
“The accused struck him with the hammer and he was taken hold of.”
The man was then stamped on while being punched and kicked, before managing to stand up and walk away.
The gang escaped in the van, which was traced by police a few streets away.
Officers were contacted by a neighbour who overheard the disturbance. Ney was the only one identified via CCTV.
Police found the victim at Ninewells Hospital where it was established he suffered a broken jaw and a shoulder injury.
He spent a week in hospital receiving treatment.
Ney, of Dundee, pled guilty to using a hammer to attack the man before stamping on him and repeatedly punching and kicking him before stealing the Ford Transit on July 26 2021.
Solicitor Theo Finlay said there was a “suggestion” about the victim owing a debt.
The van was hired with Mr Finlay saying it had been hoped the victim would “relinquish that more easily”.
Mr Finlay told Sheriff Mungo Bovey KC: “The possession of the hammer was for frightening the complainer. He did not intend on this being a violent episode.
“Mr Ney accepts responsibility for everything that took place, as he must.”
Ney was sentenced to 43 months in prison.
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