THE three men convicted of the attack on Michael Brown have been jailed for a total of 17 years.

Mr Brown was hit in the face with a baseball bat by Sean Craib, 21.

He had been hired to hurt Mr Brown by breaking one of his arms and legs by Alan Lumley, 56, who believed Mr Brown had cost him around £60,000 by pulling out of an arrangement to buy the motel from him.

Mr Brown suffered horrific facial injuries and was blinded in one eye in the attack in July 2010.

Lumley, of the Laceby Arms, in Laceby, near Grimsby, was sentenced to seven years and Craib to eight years, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm with intent.

Robert Elliott, 20, of Lincolnshire, who was paid by Craib to act as a getaway driver, was sentenced to two years in a young offenders’ institution after admitting inflicting grevious bodily harm.

He was previously acquitted of conspiracy to commit grevious bodily harm with intent.

In mitigation, Edward Bindloss said that Lumley had suggested to Craib that he find “someone stupid to drive” and that Elliott had agreed to drive his distinctive Vauxhall Corsa to the scene. Police later found the written directions to the motel in his car a month later. Addressing Elliott, who wept after being sentenced, Judge Jeremy Baker QCsaid that he did not believe he was as naïve as he claimed.

He said: “You agreed to be the hired driver of a deliberate beating.

“Certainly in this case you were aware that the beating was going to involve kicking.

“The grossly aggravating factor was that money was involved. This was not simply a scuffle in the street or going around to another location to cause harm.” Addressing Lumley, the judge said: “You had a grudge against the victim because you believed he had caused you financial loss, but that does not appear to be true.

“You decided you would not let Mr Brown get away with it. You effectively hired a thug and caused a serious amount of damage.”