https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/durham-brothers-jailed-over-vicious-20899527Three brothers who dragged a man out of a taxi and subjected him to a "vicious" attack could have their jail sentences increased by the Court of Appeal.
Sean Riley, 28, Ethan Smith, 20, and Jason Smith, 22, left their victim lying in a pool of blood with a broken jaw and eye socket after the brutal New Year’s Day assault.
The trio were each jailed for six years and 11 months after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm at Durham Crown Court last month.
But now they could be locked up for longer after their sentences were referred to the Attorney General's office to be reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.
Government documents show the case has now been referred to the Court of Appeal.
The ULS scheme allows victims of crime, their families and the public to ask for a review of certain sentences that they believe are far too low.
The sentencing court heard the brothers had stopped a moving taxi on Dodds Close, in Wheatley Hill, County Durham , on January 1, 2021, and dragged the victim, who was a passenger, from the vehicle into the street.
They then repeatedly struck him with a weapon, causing him to suffer a broken jaw and eye socket, then fled the scene leaving him lying in a pool of blood.
Neighbours who heard the attack rang the emergency services and the victim was taken to James Cook University Hospital for treatment.
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