TWO brothers who carried out a ‘vicious and cowardly’ attack on a rail passenger have been jailed.

Joseph McAteer, 28, of Troutbeck Road, Chorley and brother Daniel, 25, face a combined seven years in prison for the unprovoked attack on the man which happened on a platform at Chorley Railway Station.

The court was told the McAteer brothers, together with a friend, were on the Preston-bound platform at about 7pm on Friday, October 26, 2012.

The victim, a 45-year-old who lived locally, was also waiting for a train.

Without warning, one of the brothers, believed to be Daniel, approached the man and punched him in the face.

The victim grabbed Daniel McAteer, of Robin Hey, Leyland, in an attempt to protect himself and the pair fell to the floor.

As the pair struggled, Joseph McAteer produced a metal bar, which had been hidden in his sleeve, and struck the victim several times to the head causing significant injuries.

The McAteers and their friend, who took no part in the attack, ran away.

The victim was taken to hospital where he received numerous stitches for head wounds.

Detective Constable Chris Biggs, from the British Transport Police, said: “This was a vicious and cowardly assault on someone minding his own business, waiting for a train.

“The McAteers clearly had no thought for the potential seriousness of the injuries they caused and Joseph, in particular, seemed prepared to use a metal bar to assault an unarmed man, indeed the fact that he had the bar in his sleeve shows he was almost expecting to use it that night.

“Any violence is abhorrent, but this case is particularly disturbing due to the sudden, vicious, and indiscriminate nature of the attack.”

Joseph McAteer was found guilty of section 18 wounding and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail at Preston Crown Court.

Daniel was found guilty of section 39 assault and was sentenced to five months imprisonment.

He was also convicted of several other, unrelated offences and was jailed for a total of 30 months.