A violent thug who carried out attacks on travellers at a Norfolk station, as well as other stations in Suffolk and Essex has been given an indeterminate jail sentence.

Homeless Ian Tomlinson, 24, was handed the sentence at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday after being told he posed a 'significant risk' to the public after carrying out an assault at Diss station, as well as other stations at Colchester and Ipswich.

But one of his victims, Daniel Lloyd, of Ipswich Street, Stowmarket said the length of the sentence was not sufficient.

Yesterday, 21-year-old Daniel explained how he became an unsuspecting victim of Tomlinson while trying to find a way home in the early hours of the morning from Ipswich railway station.

'I would have thought that he would have got longer than a minimum of five years after attacking the three of us,' he said. 'I'm now getting on with my life and trying to forget about it – but it has had an effect.'

Daniel recalled that in June he had been out in Ipswich with friends one Saturday night and made his way to the railway station to try to get back home. And that is when he encountered Tomlinson.

'I missed the last train but thought I might be able to get a taxi and started to make a few phone calls,' he said.

'It was then that I saw Tomlinson and he just started talking to me. I thought nothing of it.

'I walked away and got to the multi-storey car park but he came up from behind, punched me, knocked me to the ground before hitting me with a metal tyre wrench which he somehow got from one of the cars.'

Daniel suffered three lacerations to the head, bruising to the ribs, three broken teeth, a cut nose and a cut lip, in the unprovoked attack.

He was left semi-conscious, lying in a pool of blood, but managed to regain his senses and came across a Good Samaritan railway worker who came to his aid.

He helped Daniel to his feet and called an ambulance. Daniel was taken to Ipswich Hospital where he was treated in A&E for his injuries before being allowed home later that same day.

Daniel has had to pay for numerous trips to the dentist for a series of appointments for treatment to his mouth, including root canal work and re-forming two of his teeth. He also believes a weakness in one eye, which has left him needing glasses, could have been caused by the attack.

'I don't go anywhere near the railway station now so that's had an effect and I won't get on a train to go to Ipswich either on my own,' said Daniel.

'I suppose justice has been seen to be done but five years minimum seems to be lenient after what he had done.'