A DOORMAN who claimed a friend had stolen his car took him on an hour long drive, stopping at several addresses where he invited people to watch him being punched.

Craig Palin suffered a fractured cheekbone and severe facial bruising inflicted by doorman Matthew Brown.

Brown, aged 30, had previously expressed anger about Mr Palin, posting a mocked up “Wanted” poster of him on Facebook offering “cash now for his whereabouts”.

Brown then tracked Mr Palin down and attacked him before taking him on a 25 mile journey round Bolton during which he was repeatedly assaulted.

"He served up his particular brand of summary justice," Michael Maher, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court

Mr Maher said Brown had rung police on July 2 alleging his Vauxhall Corsa had been stolen by Mr Palin.

"Six days later the defendant put up a post on Facebook which superimposed Mr Palin's face onto a Wanted poster", said Mr Maher, adding that Brown offered "cash now for whereabouts".

"It might take me a day, it might take me a year but when I find the little c*** he is going to be sorry," posted Brown.

On July 18 Mr Palin was at his brother's home in Red Lane, Breightmet, with his nephew just after 7pm when Brown walked into his bedroom wearing padded bikers' and disposable gloves.

"He set about punching the victim," said Mr Maher, who added that Mr Palin, wanting to prevent his nephew seeing the violence, got into the front passenger seat of Brown's Skoda Octavia.

"During the journey the defendant stopped from time to time at different addresses and a number of individuals were invited to come out and watch the defendant strike Mr Palin with his fist or the back of his hand."

"Some of those individuals also struck the complainant although the defendant does not accept that he encouraged that."

Mr Palin' s ordeal ended when he was driven to Cawdor Court where his ex-partner shouted at Brown to let him go and helped pull the victim from the car.

Brown was arrested at his Victoria Court, Farnworth, home the next day and pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

The court heard that the registered doorman has two previous convictions, including one for violence in 2003.

Mark Friend, defending, described the Facebook page as "bravado and venting".

He said: "It is not without irony that the defendant and Mr Palin had been friends for some considerable times

"Whatever Mr Palin did or did not do with the vehicle, the defendant saw it, at the very least, a betrayal of their friendship."

Mr Friend added that Brown accepts his behaviour was unacceptable.

"His contrition for it is absolute and unequivocal," he said.

Judge Graeme Smith sentenced Brown, who has now also lost his job, to two years and two months in prison.

"The assault continued for over an hour as he was driven around to various locations and others were invited to see him being taught a lesson by you, which, in my view, is akin to gratuitous degradation."

A restraining order was made banning Brown from contacting the victim.