TWO soldiers have been locked up for almost 16 years after a "chilling and sadistic" attack on two vulnerable teenagers.
The victims, 18-year-old Matthew Sherwood, who is autistic and a 16-year-old who cannot be named, were walking home in Sennybridge around midnight last July when they were "befriended" by the defendants, Jason Ferguson and John Joseph Ward.
Ferguson, who has been on remand since July, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent to both victims at the first hearing. His co-defendant, Ward, pleaded guilty on the day of trial causing Section 20 GBH to the 16-year-old and Section 18 GBH with intent to Matthew Sherwood.
The hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday saw footage, filmed by Ward on his phone, of the lead-up to the attack during which Ferguson is seen drinking and smoking and leading the vulnerable teenagers up a dark side road before the filming stopped and the assault took place.
During the footage, which was around 20 minutes long, Ferguson is heard calling one of the victims a "mongol".
Sue Ferrier, prosecuting told the court that defendants played different roles in the "brutal and sadistic attack" during which the victims were punched, kicked and stamped on. Mr Sherwood was also hit over the head with a terracotta plant pot.
Ferguson is said to have been the main aggressor while Ward "reassured" the victims before joining in.
After the assault, the defendants left the victims and ran back to the barracks before trying to "conceal their involvement" by burning evidence and swapping clothes, while the victims were taken to hospital and the 16-year-old was in a medically induced coma for three days.
Jeremy Jenkins defending 18-year-old Ferguson told the court how his client had had a "wretched start to life" after being abandoned by both his parents who were addicted to class A drugs. He added that his client has expressed "genuine contrition and remorse" and wanted to "put right his grievous wrongdoing".
John Ryan defending 19-year-old Ward said that his client had played a "secondary role" and that he had brought "shame on the Army and apologises for that".
Mr Ryan added that he believed if Mr Ward had gone home instead of staying out drinking he would not have been before the court. He also "assisted" the police by taking them to the site where the items had been burnt.
His Honour Judge Daniel Williams said that the victims had been friends and since the attacks they have been "driven apart".
He said that the pair saw the victims as "entertainment" to "torment and bully" them. He referred to the attack as "sadistic and chilling" and said that he hoped the "savage" inflicted on the victims had not "ruined a prized relationship".
Ferguson was sentenced to eight years and eight months in a young offenders’ institute while Ward was sentenced to seven years for the assault on Mr Sherwood and three years for the assault on the 16-year-old. These are to run concurrently.