Two men jailed for violent Eastleigh assault

Two men have been jailed for an assault in Eastleigh that left a woman with life-threatening injuries.

Jack Limburn, 27, of Fair Oak Road in Fair Oak, Jake Paul George Lucas, 27, of Samuel Jarvis Avenue in Fair Oak, both pleaded guilty assault occasioning actual bodily harm at Southampton Crown Court on 3 February. Lucas also pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Yesterday (15 February) Lucas was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, and Limburn was sentenced to nine months.

The court heard how the victims, two men and a woman, had been walking on Eastleigh High Street at around 2.30am on 30 October 2022 when they were involved in a verbal altercation with Limburn and Lucas.

A CCTV operator called the police after witnessing the two groups coming together and Limburn punching one of the men to the face, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.

Lucas then proceeded to punch the woman in the face twice before assaulting the final man. Both victims were hit with such force they were knocked unconscious.

The defendants then left the area, leaving the three victims on the floor.

An ambulance arrived and found two of the victims still on the floor. One of the victims, a woman in her early 20s, received life-threatening injuries and was put into an induced coma with a fractured skull and a bleed on her brain.

She left hospital on 10 November 2022. The other victims, two men, sustained lacerations and bruising.

The two defendants were followed through CCTV and were arrested on Leigh Road at 2.40am.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Caroline Price said: “The sentence given today demonstrates the gravity of a violent assault.

“The assault perpetrated by Jake Lucas resulted in devastating injuries to the female victim, and I would like to pay tribute to her determination and courage in her ongoing recovery, to get to this point today.

“The consequences of such unnecessary violence means that she now has to live with life changing injuries.

“These assaults, instigated by Limburn, rendered three friends unconscious in matter of seconds and just go to show that one punch can have serious consequences.

“I would also like to commend the CCTV operator for their skill and professionalism as this shocking incident unfolded. This ensured that we were able to locate and arrest the defendants swiftly. The footage is gut wrenching and incomprehensible.

“I hope the sentences deliver justice for the three victims, their friends and family, and act as a deterrent to random acts of violent behaviour, and that it will not go unpunished.”