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An innocent man was subjected to a shocking beating in his own home by a pack of thugs who befriended him then falsely branded him a paedophile.

Despicable Antonio Brogan, Zoe Flannigan and Kayleigh Brown took advantage of the vulnerable drunk victim on the Metro and invited themselves back to his flat for drinks.

Despite his hospitality, they later turned nasty and sought to set him up as a sex offender, a court heard.

They falsely claimed to be from paedophile hunting organisation Dark Justice and Brogan held a knife to his throat and threatened to “chop him up”.

All three attackers then subjected him to a severe and sustained beating which left him in a “real mess”, with fractures to both eye sockets, a broken nose, a cracked rib and blood all over his walls.

Now Brogan has been jailed for seven years after he admitted GBH with intent while the women were given suspended prison sentences because one of them is pregnant.

Sentencing them at Newcastle Crown Court, Judge Camp said: “A person’s home should be a sanctuary where he is safe.

“There was an attempt to entrap him, you were all saying he was a paedophile and you were part of Dark Justice.

“He was given a very thorough beating indeed. He was left unconscious and there was blood all over the walls of his flat.

“The photographs show he was in a real mess when you had finished with him.

“It was an unattractive and nasty offence. The complainant was vulnerable and outnumbered.”

The victim was travelling to his home on Brandling Court, North Shields, at around 8.30pm on February 11 this year.

He was obviously drunk on the Metro and Brogan, Flannigan and Brown took advantage of that to engage him in conversation.

They asked if they could go back to his flat to consume alcohol and he agreed.

Around midnight the man and Brown went to get more drink and he told her he wanted her and the other two to leave his flat.

Paul Reid, prosecuting, said: “Around half an hour later the defendants started talking about Dark Justice, who target alleged paedophiles. They asked him if he was such.

“They said to him Brown was only 14 and he had behaved inappropriately. Neither of those things were true.

“Brogan picked up a carving knife, held it to the victim’s throat and told him he was going to chop him up because he was a paedophile.

“Then he was badly assaulted. Punches rained down on him from all defendants.

“They all struck him. He was completely helpless because he was extremely drunk.

“He remembers little more.

The victim was left with both eye sockets broken and his nose and a rib were also fractured in the attack.

When he came round the next morning he found his iPad and wallet had been stolen, his phone screen was cracked and his attackers had gone.

He said in a victim statement: “This has turned my life upside down, it’s had a huge impact on my life.

“They took advantage of my vulnerability and weakness that night.

“I have a number of ongoing problems and I’m having to see an eye specialist and have been told it may take one to two years to clear up or it may be permanent.

“I’m still suffering from headaches and back ache, my nose was broken out of shape and I’ve been told there may be a possibility of further surgery.

“I’m also having issues eating and the assault has affected my mental health, increased my anxiety and my depression has become worse.

“I’m also worried something like this might happen again.”

Brogan, 21, of Allendale Crescent, Shiremoor, North Tyneside, who has a previous conviction for assault, pleaded guilty to GBH with intent and was jailed for seven years.

Flannigan, 19, of Bywell Grove, Shiremoor, who has previous for unlawful wounding, admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was given 12 months suspended for two years with a four month curfew between 6pm and 7am.

Brown, 18, of Priory Avenue, Monkseaton, North Tyneside, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and was given nine months suspended for two years.

Explaining why he wasn’t locking Brown up immediately, Judge Camp told her: “You are lucky, it’s an act of mercy because of your pregnancy and I’m concerned about your child.”

The judge told Flannigan: “This is well and truly over the custodial starting point.

“It’s not really appropriate to suspend it but it would be unjust for you not to get a similar sentence to your co-accused.”

Caroline Goodwin, for Brogan, said: “It was quite appalling, there’s no doubt about it.

“It was restricted to punches but it was unseemly and unattractive and was in the complainant’s home.

“He is remorseful. If he could turn the clock back he would not have offended in this way.

“The reason he did it was because of one thing and one thing only. Drink.”

Claire Anderson, for Brown, said: “She’s seven months pregnant and due to give birth next month.

“She was part of the group and was under the influence of alcohol.”

Flannigan’s barrister made no representations after being told her sentence would be suspended.