A THUG who repeatedly attacked a man with his fists and a baseball bat while holding him prisoner at a house party will spend Christmas in jail.

Carl Wood, 27, of Second Avenue, Canvey, and Joe Hannaford, 20, of Landseer Avenue, Manor Park, caused actual bodily harm to Tommy Linnen at Wood’s home in the early hours of October 5 last year.

Wood was found not guilty of threatening Mr Linnen with a double-barrelled shotgun and then pointing it at his brothers the following day.

During the two day trial, Basildon Crown Court heard an argument erupted when Mr Linnen was accused of stealing a wrap of cocaine during a drug fuelled party.

He was punched in the face, causing his right eye to close up and fill with blood. Mr Linnen was then attacked numerous times over a two hour period, once with a baseball bat.

He told the court a hot iron was held “millimetres” from his face and a shotgun was pointed at his head. No firearms were found at the property.

Following the verdicts, prosecutor Daniel Smith revealed officers did find a small cannabis farm.

Wood, who was held in custody during the trial while Hannaford was bailed, admitted producing seven class B cannabis plants at an earlier hearing.

Rag Chand, mitigating for Wood, asked Judge Ian Graham to release him until a sentencing hearing on January 16.

He said: “It is the time of year when most children prefer both their parents to be at home with them.

“Although cocaine and cannabis were being taken downstairs while the children were upstairs, the fact remains that it was not done in front of the children.”

However, Judge Ian Graham declined to grant Wood bail. He told the pair: “This was a nasty assault. I am prepared to wait for a pre-sentence report.”