Two's Company, Three's A Crowd Beating...

Samuels had organised the liaison on Facebook and invited mother-of-one Reid and the victim to his house in King Edwards Road, Barking, Essex, last July 14.

But a row broke out when the victim became jealous of the attention Reid and Samuels were paying each other, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Violence flared when Samuels - a youth worker with Barking and Dagenham Council - caught her trying to steal his watch. He slapped her repeatedly around the face before forcing her against a CD rack, sending discs tumbling to the floor.

When she failed to replace them in the correct slots he slapped her again and held a baseball bat aloft over his trembling victim before Reid grabbed a screwdriver and threatened to stab her. She then kicked and punched the woman before biting her on her face.

Samuels grabbed the whip and forced the victim to pull her jeans down before beating her on her back and buttocks. Reid whipped her on her forearms before forcing vodka down her throat.

The woman eventually escaped and was found in a distressed state by a passer-by, who called the police.

And people wonder why Barking & Dagenham has problems with violent youths?

At the time of the attack, Reid was subject to a one-year suspended sentence for unlawful wounding after she hurled a glass bottle in a woman's face at a nightclub on March 11 last year.

How...surprising. Not.

Edward Boateng-Addo, for Samuels, said the offences were out of character and his conviction has had a 'substantial impact' on his family, including his mother whom he was caring for.

He added: 'He was an impressive member of society, for two years worked as an intervention worker dedicated to helping youths and gained employment in that field.

'For a man who had such potential and support from his family, friends and colleagues, it can only be described as tragic how his life has turned out to date.'

Mmmmm. If you say so, chum.