VIOLENT thugs who tortured their teenage victim with red-hot hair straighteners have been jailed.

Antony Dabbs, aged 18, was left so terrified following the horrific attack he and his family have now fled Bolton.

Christopher Lilley and Richard Johnson, both aged 24, were yesterday jailed for two years at Bolton Crown Court after they admitted pushing Mr Dabbs on to a bed, pulling off his trousers and burning him with the straightening tongs.

The attack left Mr Dabbs with a 2cm by 5cm burn and a permanent scar.

Gavin Howie, prosecuting, said: “Antony says he suffered months of embarrassment, indignity and pain because of the injury.

“He says he was left mentally scarred.”

Mr Howie added the choice of body part to be burned constituted “gratuitous degradation”

of the victim.

The court heard Mr Dabbs was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder following the attack.

Mr Dabbs was in debt to Johnson and Lilley after they sold him mephedrone, a party drug which was made illegal on March 16 last year.

At about 10am on March 19 this year, the pair sent a taxi to pick up the teenager from his Horwich home, telling him they wanted to discuss his debt — about £300.

They were waiting for him at the house of one of their girlfriends in Dickinson Street West.

Mr Dabbs was threatened and then ordered upstairs, where Lilley pushed him on to the bed and removed his trousers.

The court heard Johnson closed the bedroom door and agreed when Lilley asked what they should do.

Lilley then turned the straighteners on and burned Mr Dabbs’ genitals for several seconds.

Mr Howie said: “He felt a burning pain for a minute, but then the pain went and he didn’t feel anything.”

The judge was shown photographs of Mr Dabbs’ horrific burns.

The attack only ended when three girls, who had been downstairs, came in and shouted: “You’re sick”.

Mr Dabbs fled and went to the Royal Bolton Hospital for treatment. He was so terrified his family put him on a train to Scotland the next morning, where he spent several weeks in hospital, recovering in a secure ward.

Mr Dabbs’ family moved out of Horwich and left the Bolton area because they were frightened of repercussions.

Lilley, of Abbott Street, Horwich, and Johnson, of Pioneer Close, Horwich, both pleaded guilty to wounding.

While it was Lilley who carried out the attack, Johnson was sentenced equally because it was a joint enterprise between them.

Judge Susan Grocott described the incident as “particularly unpleasant”.