DETECTIVES have welcomed the sentences handed out to an Exeter trio for street violence which left a man brain damaged — and said the case is a warning to other drunken thugs who commit these crimes.

Police are also keen to praise hospital staff who helped save the life of Wayne Kelly who was punched by champion boxer Aaron Seldon in the late-night street attack in Honiton's High Street.

The Echo yesterday reported how Seldon, 20, of Hill Barton Road, Whipton, was jailed for four years and three months at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday.

He had been convicted at trial of unlawfully wounding Mr Kelly and also the victim's friend John Garland who had come to his rescue.

Seldon had been convicted of affray and had earlier pleaded guilty to assaulting Scott Morgan at the town's Pit Club.

Dean Saunders, 26, of Springfield Road, St James, was jailed for two years after being found guilty of unlawfully wounding Mr Garland.

Shaun Bond, 20, from Headland Crescent, Whipton, was given nine months in prison, suspended for two years, for his conviction for affray.

The defendants travelled to the club in Honiton, where Saunders was a guest DJ, in March last year.

Seldon punched Mr Morgan at the club, then he and Bond caused a further unprovoked row with him outside.

The court heard Seldon later punched Mr Kelly, leaving him brain-damaged. He then attacked Mr Garland, with Saunders joining in.

Detective Sergeant Ian Tyers, (Tyers) senior investigating officer, spoke to the Echo on behalf of himself and Detective Constable Steve Harrington, officer in the case.

He said: "Wayne Kelly nearly died. I think it is probably the expertise and hard work of the surgeons and medical staff, at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital in Wonford and Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, that saved him."

Det Sgt Tyers added: "We are pleased and the families of the victims are pleased that justice has been done.

"They are pleased that those responsible have been identified for their individual offences. Each person has been held accountable for their involvement and police are glad that we have been able to achieve that."

The detective supported each defendant's intention to change their life for the better, which was given in mitigation at court, and hoped they were sincere.

He said: "The defendants have to live with the knowledge that one of them has permanently disabled a man and two of them have caused severe injury to another.

"Mr Kelly and Mr Garland want to put this behind them and get on with their lives.

"We wish the victims all the best for as full a recovery as possible."

Det Con Tyers said this level of violence was unusual in East Devon but warned it showed the unforeseen consequences of street violence, which would always be investigated thoroughly.

He said: "Assaults and injuries at this level are rare but this case shows we will do everything possible to bring those responsible to justice."

He thanked Devon and Cornwall Police's Major Crime Investigation Unit for their assistance and also court staff, including the jury for the time they took to consider the case.