A violent thief has been sentenced to prison after assaulting a man and stealing his phone at a bus stop in Maidstone. Damien McCann, 28, attacked his victim in an unprovoked assault on the evening of 5 January 2020, leaving the man with multiple injuries, including a fractured tooth.

The victim, who was known to McCann, was waiting at a bus station near Pad’s Hill when McCann approached from behind and knocked him to the ground. As the victim lay helpless, McCann repeatedly punched and kicked his head and face before stealing a phone from his jacket and fleeing the scene on foot.

McCann, of Brompton Lane, Strood, was arrested in the weeks following the attack and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and robbery. Despite pleading not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court, he was convicted after a trial. On 9 September 2024, McCann was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.

Detective Constable Mark Giles, who led the investigation, said: “McCann was responsible for a truly cowardly assault, and he has demonstrated little remorse by denying the charges and forcing the victim to relive the experience in court. The sentence imposed reflects the viciousness of McCann’s attack, and I hope it brings some comfort and reassurance to the victim and his family.”

McCann’s sentencing brings a measure of closure to the case, but the victim and his family continue to recover from the trauma of the assault.