Two thugs have been put behind bars after a fight outside a social club left a man with a serious head injury.
Kane Walker and Christopher Watson clashed with a group that included a mother, her daughter and their partners before fleeing and hiding in a nearby house loft.
The pair were arrested after Walker fell through the ceiling, Teesside Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Zaiban Alam said both men turned on police, with Walker spitting in an officer’s face and kicking officers in the chest.
She said most of the violence was captured on CCTV, but it was difficult to see exactly what each defendant did.
“There was a struggle in which the victim was punched in the face and fell to the floor, unresponsive,” she said.
“The defendants continued shoving and punching. On two distinct occasions, the defendants leave the area before returning and getting involved in violence again.”
Ms Alam said the victim fractured his skull when he fell and hit his head on the pavement.
Neighbours near Roseworth Social Club in Stockton came out to intervene before the defendants and another man ran away.
The pair were hiding in the attic of a Rochester Road house when police arrived, before Walker fell through the ceiling.
Walker spat at and lashed out at police officers as they arrested him, she said.
During his police interview, Watson said: “He ran at me, so I put his lights out.”
Walker, 22, of Rosthwaite Avenue, Stockton, admitted affray and two counts of assaulting an emergency worker after his arrest on November 20, 2022.
His lawyer, Chris Morrison, said Walker had matured since the incident almost four years ago.
He said: “At the time, his lifestyle was a very reckless one indeed.”
Watson, 32, of Miers Avenue, Hartlepool, admitted affray for his role in the disturbance.
His lawyer, Nicci Horton, said a single punch caused the victim to hit his head on the ground, where he remained unconscious.
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Recorder Christopher Rafferty-Hemlin told the pair the violence was so serious that only prison sentences were appropriate.
“The incident was captured on CCTV,” he said. “It shows you both running at the group followed by a struggle.
“The victim was punched immediately, fell down and remained on the ground throughout the incident.”
Watson was jailed for 25 months and Walker for 24 months.