Two mothers who "terrorised" a vulnerable man before leaving him partially stripped and tied to a lamppost covered in vomit, food, paint, nail varnish and cooking oil, have walked free from court.
Sean Ruddeforth, who has learning difficulties, suffered "gratuitous degradation" at the hands of Rebecca Willis, 24, and Maggie Bowden, 38, both mothers who, along with Anthony Connelly, 25, took part in the prolonged and humiliating public attack, a Manchester court heard.
Two phone calls to police were ignored, the court heard, and the 32-year-old victim was left for four hours in the street, hooded, covered in "gunk and dirt" and cut and bleeding after being cut down from the lamppost, hitting his face on the pavement.
Mother-of-one Willis, of Curzon Road, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Tameside, had allowed her two-year-old daughter out in the street to witness the attack, with the youngster "cheering" as Ruddeforth was tormented.
But Judge Peter Lakin said because both Willis and Bowden, a mother-of-three, had young children he would not send them to prison and instead imposed a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years on all three defendants.
Willis used parcel tape to bind the victim to the lamppost outside the former home of Bowden in Whiteacre Road, Ashton-under-Lyne as the assault got under way around 1am on 31 August last year.
Ruddeforth's trousers were then pulled down by Bowden and a permanent marker pen was used to write obscene symbols and the words "bullied" and "terrorised" scrawled on his body, as a gang of up to 15 people laughed and cheered.
As others took photos on their mobile phones, Mr Ruddeforth was covered in nail varnish, cooking oil, sauce, spaghetti and cereals and sprayed with gold paint.
After arrest, all claimed a "subordinate" role and tendered guilty pleas to assault occasioning actually bodily harm on a basis of limited involvement in the attack.
Bowden, now living at Albion Court, Ashton-Under-Lyne, admitted tying the victim to a lamppost and writing "terrorised" on him while Willis claimed this was a "forfeit" for games they played and confessed she poured foodstuffs on Ruddeforth then cut him down where he fell heavily to the floor. Connolly admitted to being present as the attack unfolded.
Lisa Boocock, prosecuting, said: "These are not bases of pleas the crown could ever accept. It is quite clear Sean Ruddeforth was subjected to an awful lot more. Unpalatable as it is, there are reports from some neighbours describing 15 individuals being involved in some way around Sean Ruddeforth.
"It is not possible to identify what each is doing on each occasion."
Boocock added: "This is a humiliation case, a bullying case, somebody deliberately taken advantage of and in a state where he is unable to stop what is taking place in public."
The victim, also from Ashton-under-Lyne, had told his parents, with who, he lives, he was going to spend the evening at Bowden's house and had known the defendants for some years and regarded them as friends.
During the night all four had drunk heavily and around 1am a neighbour was awoken by the commotion in the street and looked through her curtains to see an "unconscious male" being bound to the lamppost with parcel tape around his chest and thighs.
Willis's child was "cheering" and the defendants were "laughing" with photos being taken on mobile phones.
At first the witness thought it a prank but became so shocked she called police.
But Boocock said the neighbour was told on the phone it was an "environmental health" matter and given an alternative number to call.
Meanwhile, Ruddeforth was covered in foodstuffs and other matter and another neighbour dialled 999 but again police did not respond, the court heard.
"This went on for some hours. He was on the street for at least four hours," she added.
Eventually a man on his way to work at 5am noticed the victim and called an ambulance.
In casualty nurses noted the victim was covered in his own vomit along with the other matter, had low blood pressure and body temperature, a cut and swelling around his eyes and red marks around his back and neck.
Willis later sent a text to Bowden saying: "Terrorising pisspot LOL".
In a victim impact statement, Ruddeforth said while physically he has recovered, mental scars remain and the attack had completely changed his life, with him unable to trust people, worrying it might happen again and he will not now leave his home without his mother.
Bowden had intended "no malice", the court heard, and Willis, whose child is now in foster care, was "extremely sorry", Robert Sastry, defending, said.
Connolly, from Broadoak Road, Ashton, who works for Asda, was a man "easily led" and himself has learning difficulties, Mark Fireman, defending said.
Passing sentence, Judge Lakin told the defendants: "This may have started out as a prank. That said, it very quickly developed into the deliberate humiliation and degradation of Sean Ruddeforth.
"I have to say, it reflects very badly on Greater Manchester Police that they failed to respond to two calls, including a 999 call. As a result Sean Ruddeforth found himself in this sorry state for something in excess of four hours.
"He was deliberately bullied and degraded. All of you should be thoroughly ashamed of yourselves."
Judge Lakin said as both female defendants were mothers it was "for that reason and that reason alone" immediate jail sentences would be suspended.
All three were also given a three month electronically monitored night-time curfew and each ordered to pay £300 compensation to their victim.
Bowden and Willis will have the money taken out of their benefit payments - funded by taxpayers.