Two men jailed for a violent assault in Eastleigh Town Centre

After a shocking incident in Eastleigh Town centre in October 2022, two men were jailed yesterday.

Jack Limburn and Jake Lucas, both 27 and from Fair Oak pleaded guilty on 3 February to assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Lucas also pleaded guilty to inflicting grevious bodily harm.

In court yesterday, 15 February, Lucas was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. Limburn was sentenced to nine months in prison.

The incident itself involved three victims; two males and a female. They were in the High Street, Eastleigh, at around 2:30am on 30 October when a verbal altercation took place with Lucas and Limburn.

Limburn punched one of the male victims in the face, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. Lucas then proceeded to punch the woman in the face twice before moving on to assault the second male. Both were hit with such force that they too were left unconscious.

CCTV operators witnessed the incident and called the emergency services. An ambulance arrived to find two of the victims still on the floor. The female received life-threatening injuries, including a fractured skull and a bleed on her brain.

Given her injuries, the female in her 20s was put into an induced coma and remained in hospital for 12 days before being released. The two male victims suffered lacerations and bruises.

As for Lucas and Limburn, they fled the scene straight after the violent assault. However, police caught up with them and arrested them a short time later on Leigh Road.

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Caroline Price said;

“The sentence given today demonstrates the gravity of a violent assault.

“The assault perpetrated by Jake Lucas resulted in devastating injuries to the female victim, and I would like to pay tribute to her determination and courage in her ongoing recovery, to get to this point today.

“The consequences of such unnecessary violence means that she now has to live with life changing injuries.

“These assaults, instigated by Limburn, rendered three friends unconscious in matter of seconds and just go to show that one punch can have serious consequences.

“I would also like to commend the CCTV operator for their skill and professionalism as this shocking incident unfolded. This ensured that we were able to locate and arrest the defendants swiftly. The footage is gut wrenching and incomprehensible.

“I hope the sentences deliver justice for the three victims, their friends and family, and act as a deterrent to random acts of violent behaviour, and that it will not go unpunished.”