Three men have been jailed over an assault and robbery which caused two men "serious injuries" in Stoke on Trent.

James Hopper, 35, of Bucknall; John Martin, 32, of no fixed address; and Adam Wright, 37, of Boothen, appeared at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday (18 September).

They were each found guilty after trial of section 18 grievous bodily harm with intent.

Hopper was handed an 11-year extended sentence, Martin was given six years, and Wright was sentenced to a nine-year extended term.

It comes after officers were called to Vale Street in Stoke following reports of a disturbance in August last year.

Staffordshire Police said that prior to the report, Martin was seen on CCTV attempting to steal one of the victim's bikes using a pair of bolt cutters.

The bike had been secured on Church Street with two locks.

He was only able to remove one of the locks, and when the victim and his friend returned collect the bike, they asked to see CCTV footage from a nearby premises which led them to identify the suspect.

While on the phone to the police, the pair spotted then confronted Martin.

Martin, Hopper and Wright then attacked both men.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said: "The victims were kicked, stamped on and left unconscious in the road, as the suspects took the victims' wallets and phones and made off.

"As a result of the attack, one of the victims suffered a number of facial fractures while the other suffered a bleed to the brain and a number of soft tissue injuries."

The police force said officers arrived on the scene "a short time by later" and located and arrested the offenders.

They initially denied what they had done before, being found guilty by a jury in court.

Alongside their prison terms, Hopper, Martin and Wright were each ordered to pay a surcharge of £228 upon their release.

Martin was also found guilty of section 18 attempted wounding with intent and admitted theft by finding, for which he received no separate penalty.

Wright admitted handling stolen goods and was handed a concurrent term of one month.

Detective Constable Rose Smith, of the Staffordshire Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who was the officer in the case, said: "This was a vicious and relentless attack on two victims who suffered serious injuries as a result of the assault and robbery.

"I am pleased those responsible have been handed significant jail terms".