THE mother of Sophie Lancaster has condemned two jailed men who punched, kicked and stamped on a Goth girl.

Sylvia Lancaster said the attack on Melody McDermott, 22, on a tram in Bury had ‘chilling’ echoes of the savage murder of Sophie in a Bacup park almost five years ago.

She spoke out after former Waterfoot man Kenneth Kelsall, 47, was jailed for six years and nine months when he admitted wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm.

Gareth Farrar, 43, was sentenced to two years and two months in prison for assault and affray.

Melody, who was wearing a Sophie wristband in court, suffered a broken eye socket in the attack at Bury Interchange last October.

Her friend Stephen Stafford, 30, was also injured.

The judge described the attack as an 'explosion of violence'.

Sylvia Lancaster, who now runs the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, which aims to stamp out prejudice, hatred and intolerance, said: “The parallels between this incident and what happened with Sophie are chilling.

“We are pleased to see that the sentences appear to be quite stiff, although you never think any sentence is enough, once you have been through the system you understand these things.

“We are also glad that these two mature adults, for that is what they are supposed to be, are now off the streets and hopefully Melody can move on.

“It is unusual to see people of these ages carrying out such attacks. It is simply ignorance. A lot of the foundation’s work is with young people. You think people would have wised up by this age and wouldn’t have these prejudices.

“When you see something like this it makes you feel that you are not doing enough. We need to continue raising awareness.

“There have been hundreds of positive comments in support of Melody on our Facebook page and she wore a Sophie Lancaster Foundation wristband in court.”

Melody, who was left with a fractured eye socket after her ordeal, said she couldn’t bear to look at her attackers in court.

She said: “It’s an emotional time but I’m glad justice has been done. I’m relieved it’s all over.

“The sentencing is a load off my shoulders. I couldn’t bear to look at my attackers during the case.

“They will never know just how much this has affected me.”

Harrowing video footage of the attack was played to Judge Elliot Knopf at Bolton Crown Court on Monday.

The images were so graphic, Melody’s mother ran out of the courtroom in tears.

The court heard how on that evening, Melody had been out drinking with her friend Stephen Stafford.

Fairground workers Kelsall, formerly of Fairfield Avenue, Waterfoot, and Farrar had also been drinking after work.

Both groups were planning to catch a Metrolink service from Bury Interchange when an argument broke out.

The police investigated whether the attack had happened because Melody and Stephen were dressed in Goth-style clothing.

Defence counsel Laura Foster said: “Mr Kelsall was intoxicated. Melody McDermott had been drinking and was being abusive.

“She said to him ‘you tramp, you scumbag, my boots are worth more than you.’ “Mr Kelsall accepts that he lost it, but he wishes to highlight that he has no prejudice to individuals who are Goths.

His actions were far beyond acceptable and he is very sorry.”

At the start of what Judge Knopf described as an explosion of violence, Kelsall headbutted Melody with such force, it knocked her from one set of tram doors to the other.

He then grabbed Melody’s hair and punched her before dragging her to the ground and stamping on her face five times.

Before leaving the tram, Kelsall kicks Stephen in the face and was seen on the video footage sharing a joke with Farrar as he leaves the platform.

The court heard that both victims were now scared of going out alone and would not use a Metrolink tram again.

In a statement to the court, Melody said: “Since this attack, I’ve lived with a constant reminder of what those violent people did.

“I can’t smile properly. Every time I go to smile I can feel the muscle in my cheek which is not as it should be.

“I have lost confidence because there is a personal reminded of the attack on my face. It has changed my personality. I don’t go out in Bury after dark now.”

Addressing the defendants, Judge Knopf said: “Attacks like this are often instigated by young men too young to know better, but you are two men in your 40s who cannot use that line to justify your actions.

“What you did almost beggars belief. It was an horrific and shocking display of violence.

“The public are extremely concerned by the prominence of violence which can be found in cities and towns and where people are subjected to attacks for no good reason, sometimes seriously and sometimes fatally.”

Kelsall, 47, now of Cornwood Close, Cheetham Hill, had 13 convictions, nine of which were violence, dating from 1978 to 2010.