A former cage fighter who left a man with a broken jaw in an unprovoked attack in a town centre has been jailed for 15 months.

Kent Kauppinen, who once won an award from Wiltshire police, then assaulted the victim’s girlfriend during the incident on New Year’s Day, 2011.

And hours later he went out in his car with pal Aaron Tinson, who had taken part in the first incident, and another stranger was assaulted.

Kauppinen, 20, and Tinson, 19, had been out drinking seeing in the New Year when they saw a couple on Lowden Hill in Chippenham, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Mark Taylor and Florence Espeutt-Nickless were talking to each other as they made their way home when Kauppinen approached and was verbally aggressive.

Mr Taylor tried to calm the situation and placate the stranger but was then punched by one of the men, probably Tinson, leaving him with his jaw fractured in two places.

Miss Espeutt-Nickless slapped Kauppinen as the pair attacked her boyfriend and he then twice swept her feet from under her, sending her to the ground.

On the first occasion he pinned her down with a knee on her chest and the second time to her sternum, leaving her bruised.

The young thugs then left the scene and went to Kauppinen’s home, but a few hours later were back out in his car.

One of them shouted some abuse at a couple saying to the woman ‘You are a slut, look at the length of your skirt’.

When her boyfriend Jake Vincent shouted back ‘What did you say?’ the car stopped and the two youths got out.

As they approached the victim his girlfriend got between them but Tinson punched Mr Vincent to the face over her shoulder leaving him with a badly cut cheek.

The pair pleaded not guilty to grievous bodily harm with intent in relation to Mr Taylor, blaming each other, but were convicted following a trial of the lesser charge of GBH.

They also both denied actual bodily harm to Miss Espeutt-Nickless but Kauppinen was convicted and Tinson found not guilty. He admitted GBH on Mr Vincent.

Marcus Davey, for Kauppinen, of London Road, Chippenham, said his client was 19 at the time of the incident, had a good work ethic and was sorry for what he had done.

He said he was a semi-professional footballer having previously been on the books of Liverpool and Bristol Rovers, and hoped to return to the professional game.

In the past he said he had received a commendation from the Wiltshire constabulary for breaking up a street brawl.

Ed Burgess, for Tinson, of Ludlow Close, Chippenham, said his client was also a well thought of young man who had no previous convictions and not been in trouble since.

Jailing them both for 15 months, Recorder Maria Lamb told them they had behaved ‘like a couple of thugs’.

She said: “You behaved that night, Kauppinen, like a swaggering bully: you made disparaging remarks about Miss Espeutt-Nickless.

“Mr Tinson less so: you may have hit Mr Taylor. This was a joint enterprise limited to no more than one punch but leaving the unfortunate Mr Taylor with a broken jaw.

“Then, in an unedifying attempt to shirk responsibility you tried to blame each other. This was a classic joint enterprise: you both share responsibility for what followed.

“It is really shocking and it is sad to see young men with all the promise that you have in the situation in which you are, but you lack what would have been the real substantial mitigation in what would have been the first part of offending the evening and that was a guilty plea to the offences.

“I would be failing in my duty to the public if I imposed anything but an immediate period of custody in a young offenders’ institution.”