CONVICTED (2018) | Paul Hands, Darren Barnfather, John McCarthy and Darren Bagnall, all of Ashton-under-Lyne – brutally battered a dog and her owner. The victim and his dog were set upon by four men – armed with a golf club, a pool cue and electrical wire – after they objected to him using one of their wheelie bins to dispose of bagged dog waste. The horrific attack, which took place on Holebottom in Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside , in July 2016, left the man with a fractured skull, a bleed on his brain and a fractured collar bone. Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the victim disposed of the bag in a bin outside an address where Paul Hands was staying. Hands flew into a rage and started hurling abuse at the man and threatening him. The man walked away, but the next day the group spotted him while he was out walking his dog. They armed themselves before surrounding him on a footpath and attacking him. John McCarthy was seen swinging the crossbreed dog  around by her lead at shoulder height before Barnfather smashed a piece of wood over her back. The badly injured victim managed to make his way home before collapsing and being rushed to hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. The dog survived the attack but the extent of her injuries has not been reported. Sentencing: Darren Barnfather (born c. 1966) of 7 Holebottom, Ashton-under-Lyne OL6 8SJ was jailed for 11 years for section 18 assaults Paul Hands (born c. 1979), of number 3 Holebottom, who in 2008 was imprisoned alongside brother Andrew Hands for viciously beating a priest,was jailed for 13 years for section 18 assault. John McCarthy (born c. 1965) of Holebottom, and Darren Bagnall (born c. 1966) of Hindley Close were both jailed for two-and-a- half years for a section 20 assault. Manchester Evening News The Independent Hands’ previous conviction: BBC News