Youths 'set fire to sleeping man'

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Four youths set fire to a man's face while he slept on a train in Sussex and then ran off through a station without a backward glance, a court has heard.

At Chichester Crown Court, Dean Hardy, 20, from Crawley, and two youths, 14, who cannot be named, deny causing grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent.

Aedan Palmer, 19, of Lancing, admitted a lesser charge of causing GBH.

Jurors were told the four, who were all teenagers at the time, had carried out a "gratuitous and malicious attack".

Opening the case for the prosecution, Richard Barton said they used a lighter to set fire to the beard of Luke Kennedy, who was then an admin assistant at Chichester College.

They didn't attack him with their fists or feet, they used fire Richard Barton

The 22-year-old victim, who had long hair and a "significantly long beard" suffered burns to his lips, cheeks and ears in the attack on the Brighton to Littlehampton service last December, he added.

Mr Barton said: "On the course of travelling on that train they collectively turned into a living nightmare for one of their fellow passengers."

He added: "Apparently for their own amusement, these four defendants attacked him.

"They didn't attack him with their fists or feet, they used fire.

"They watched as his face started to burn and then they ran together, off the train, out of the station, without as much as a backward glance."

'Smiling and laughing'

Jurors heard the four boarded the train at Lancing and started taunting and being abusive to the sleeping man.

They later pretended to use the buckles on his boots to open beer bottles, the court was told.

But after passengers left the train at West Worthing, they crowded around him and used a lighter to set fire to his beard, Mr Barton said.

He said CCTV showed the youths smiling and laughing as smoke started to billow from his face.

Mr Barton said Palmer used the lighter, but the Crown alleges that all four were equally responsible for the attack.

All four have denied inflicting a charge of inflicting GBH with intent.

Mr Hardy, of Grace Road, and the two teenagers, also deny the lesser charge of inflicting GBH.

Palmer, of Tower Road, pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of inflicting GBH at an earlier hearing.

The case was adjourned until Tuesday.