THIS is the moment a “sadistic” decorator attacked a helpless, one-legged man with a rolling pin while he slept in his sleeping bag.

John Allen brandished the weapon and two knives as he carried out an eight minute attack on Ian White, a disabled man living rough on the streets of Southampton.

Mr White and two other men were subjected to “sustained” abuse as they tried to sleep in Eastgate Street Car Park in Southampton in the early hours of March 25.

For his attack, Allen, 33, was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment at Southampton Crown Court.

VIDEO: The shocking footage shows Allen carrying out the rolling pin attack, as well as spitting and wielding knives

Allen was also admitting a contempt of court charge after he was caught with cannabis strapped to the inside of his leg when he was searched by custody staff at court.

The court heard that Allen had initially believed the men knew who had stolen his “life source” mobile phone and after getting into a fight with the men ran home to collect a rolling pin and two knives.

In CCTV images shown by prosecutor Robert Griffiths, Allen was seen to be spitting and punching the Mr Hatcher and Mr Hemmings before he launched an “unprovoked” and “cowardly” attack on Mr White.

Mr Griffiths said: “It was a sustained attack on Mr White for eight minutes. He attacked him with the rolling pin but can be seen to be lunging in with the knives on the victim.”

In a victim statement read by Mr Griffiths, Mr White said the incident had left him “traumatised” and that he wakes up every three hours thinking about the incident.

It said: “I have to live and remember this for the rest of my life.

“I am in bad times but I am not a bad person.

“It was sadistic and it seemed as if he was enjoying it.”

The court heard that Allen, who worked as a roofer before carrying out painting and decorating jobs in Southampton, had a number of previous convictions for offences such as possessing a knuckle duster in public, battery, assault and using force to gain entry to a house.

Mitigating, Khalid Missouri told the court that Allen and his family were “disgraced by his actions”.

However, Mr Missouri said that Allen had only carried out the attack because he believed the phone to have been taken by the men.

Mr Missouri said: “He said he saw the person who robbed him around the entrance of the car park.

“He believed that they would be able to get him to where it was.”

In sentencing, Judge Peter Henry told the court the attack was “unprovoked”.

Judge Henry said: “Mr White was not capable of getting up and getting away. You struck Mr White while he was laying down in his sleeping bag.

“He was quite unable to get up or defend himself. You could not have thought he had anything to do with the robbery.

“You must have realised this man was barely moving.”

He added: “You attacked him in a cowardly and deliberate manner.”

Allen, of Canal Walk, Southampton, will serve no more than half his sentence before applying for parole.

A sentence of 14-days will run concurrent in the sentence in relation to his contempt of court charge.