TWELVE thugs who beat up a group of York race goers travelling home by train have been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.

The attackers had been on a pub crawl around York and boarded the Middlesbrough to Manchester Airport TransPennine Express service on July 11 last year.

They repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on five male passengers.

Leeds Crown Court heard the victims were returning to Leeds from a day at York Races.

They tried to escape their attackers by moving down the train, but the 12 thugs, all from Sheffield and Barnsley, followed them and continued the attack over three carriages as terrified passengers and rail staff tried to move away from the violence.

The ordeal lasted more than ten minutes before the thugs pulled the emergency cord near Garforth station, forced open the doors of the train and fled.

British Transport Police launched Operation Javelin, a large-scale investigation, to track them down.

Detective Sergeant Granville Sellers said: “This was an appalling, unprovoked attack on a group of young men who were simply returning from an enjoyable day at the races. No one should have to endure such an experience. The excellent CCTV system on the train helped us to identify and bring these criminals to justice.”

The 12 sentenced were: Dominic Mullan, of Halifax Road, Grenoside, Sheffield (four years), Sam Atkinson, of Cotswold Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield (three years), Lee Ardron of Broad Inge Crescent, Burncross, Sheffield, Gavin Hodgson of School Road, High Green, Sheffield, Gavin Garton of Lansett Grove, Sheffield (two-and-a half years each) Robert Wharam, of Chiltern Road, Sheffield (18 months), Stephen Hogan, of Warren Gardens, Chapeltown, Sheffield, Daniel Hewitt, of Harris Road, Hillsborough, Sheffield (two years each), Jack Culyer of Ironside Crescent, Sheffield, Jordan Wasden, of Wood Lane, Sheffield, Thomas Wilkinson, of Stanley Road, Burncross, Sheffield (18 each), and Shaun Jones, of Dodworth Road, Town End, Barnsley (four years).