A ROBBER dragged a man from his front door down flights of stairs and repeatedly stamped on his head in a horrific attack in a Greenock close.

Brian Cummings slammed his foot down into the face of his victim at least half-a-dozen times while an unknown accomplice ran into his flat on South Street and stole a £10 note.

The ferocity of the attack inflicted by Cummings, 32, was such that police found a 'pool of blood' on the close floor and the badly injured man has been left permanently impaired.

Greenock Sheriff Court was told how he'd heard someone attempting to kick his door in and was immediately set upon when he went to investigate the 4.30pm disturbance.

Cummings — who is today beginning a lengthy prison sentence over his brutality — was on bail on allegations of housebreaking and a drugs offence at the time of the incident on July 2 last year.

Prosecutor Emma Jeffrey said: "The witness said, 'Can I help you?' and the accused immediately began to shout and swear at him.

"He grabbed him by his t-shirt and began dragging him downstairs backwards.

"The witness held the bannister to prevent himself from falling but he couldn't hold on and fell backwards.

"He saw the other male running past him and into the first floor flat.

"As the witness lay on the floor the accused began to stamp on his face, approximately six times."

Fiscal depute Miss Jeffrey added: "The witness then fell fully down the stairs to the ground floor while the accused was still punching and kicking him.

"He attempted to hold on to the accused and struggle with him but he lost all strength to do so.

"The other man swore in stating, 'Where's the money?' in an aggressive manner, all while the accused continued to kick the witness.

"Police observed a large pool of blood on the ground floor and blood spatter leading up to the flat."

The court was told that after Cummings and his friend had fled, their victim checked his pockets and found that his Santander bank card and Amazon credit card were both missing.

He was found to have suffered a broken right cheekbone and a fractured right eye socket after being transferred from Inverclyde Royal to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

The man has been left with permanent numbness in his cheek.

Cummings had also been indicted on charges of twice using the missing debit card to buy scratchcards and tobacco but his not guilty pleas to these allegations were accepted following negotiations between the Crown and defence lawyers Keenan and Co.

The thug yawned in the dock as prosecutor Miss Jeffrey concluded her narration of the facts of the case.

Solicitor Charles Drummond said: "Mr Cummings can offer little explanation.

"He says that the other individual who was there knew the complainer and that an argument began between them."

But Sheriff Derek Hamilton interjected: "I find it difficult to accept that when this incident starts with the door being broken and kicked-in, for want of a better phrase."

The sheriff told Cummings: "This is an extremely serious matter which seems to me was premeditated.

"You took it upon yourself to assault this man in quite a dramatic fashion.

"It is simply good fortune that his injuries were not more serious than they turned out to be."

Cummings was sentenced to two-and-a-half years imprisonment.