Three men who led a "brutal attack" that left a disabled man in a coma for nearly a year were jailed yesterday.
Craig Robins, from Hednesford, in Staffordshire, was attacked in his car on October 30 last year, suffering irreparable brain damage, and still needs round-the-clock care.
He was set upon outside a house in Lomax Road as he searched for the people who had slashed his car tyres in an earlier incident, suffering stab wounds to the neck and head.
At Nottingham Crown Court, Gavin Brown (22), of Hillside Close, Hednesford, was jailed for 12 years for attempted murder, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.
James Milligan (27), of Moss Road, Cannock, and Kyle Smith (19), of Rowley Close, Hednesford, both admitted violent disorder, and were jailed for three years and two years, three months respectively.
A 16-year-old boy from Cannock, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also admitted violent disorder for his part in the assault and was given an 18-month supervision order.
Mr Robins, 28, was left paralysed from the chest down by a car accident nine years ago, but his parents said he lived a full and active life until the attack. Linda and Clive Robins said: "Craig had good friends and an active social life. This has all been taken away from him through a mindless act of violence.
"Craig remains a shell of his former self but as a family we will do everything we can to make the world he is now locked inside easier to bear."
The couple thanked the staff at Birmingham City Hospital who looked after their son, and praised Staffordshire Police for their "tireless work" in bringing the attackers to justice.
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Wyatt, who led the enquiry, said: "Craig suffered horrific injuries. The motive for this cowardly crime has never been fully established, but the fact that Craig could not defend himself due to his disability made it even worse."
