Tony Sowry has been left feeling disappointed after the sentencing of four men who burst into his home and attacked him so badly he had to have an eye surgically removed.

Carl Tremayne, Takatu Ahomiro, Jay Beguely and Tama Waitai were given prison sentences after being found guilty at a trial last year of the home invasion in Plummers Point in December 2013.

Tony Sowry has an artificial eye after losing his right eye in a home invasion in 2013. Photos: Tracy Hardy.

Tony was at home with his son Shannon when he heard a nose outside.

'My son went to see what it was and all I remember him saying was 'Oh my god!”

Tony, who used to be an award winning cabinet making and plumber, was beaten so badly in the attack all the bones in the right side of his face were broken and he had several skull fractures.

He can no longer work and has been told by the optometrist to limit his driving to short distances as the vision in his left eye is not 100 per cent.

'I have 20/20 vision when it comes to long distance, but short distance is a problem.”

Tony sat down with SunLive to talk about the attack and the effects it has had on his life.

During the three hour prolonged assault, Tony was beaten in the head with a crowbar, thumped with other weapons and pushed onto the couch while his assailants ransacked his house.

As he was pushed on the couch, Tony recalls feeling the broken bones in his face grinding together.

Tony ended up driving himself to Tauranga Hospital because St John Paramedics had to wait to police to secure the scene before they would come onto the property.

One of the memories Tony has from being at hospital is seeing nurses cry.

'I had never seen nurses cry. They would tap me on the shoulder and tell me it was going to be ok.” Tony spent a few weeks in Tauranga Hospital before heading to Waikato Hospital to have reconstructive surgery on his eye.

'I had 7mm depressed fractures in my face, my jaw had come lose and my nose had to be reconstructed. My teeth were also fixed.”

Since the attack, Tony has been in the care of psychologists to help with the mood swings he has.

'I had a fight with my son the other day and haven't spoken to him in a while because of my erratic moods.”

Tony is disappointed with the sentences his attackers received calling the justice system a joke.

'People need to speak up,” is Tony's advice to other victims. 'Ninety nine per cent of us are letting ourselves be intimidated by the one per cent. It's not right.”

The attackers were sentenced yesterday see below to see what they got.

Ahomiro was sentenced to 12 years with a minimum non-parole period of eight years, while Waitai received 10 years and nine months with a minimum non-parole period of five years and three months.

Treymane was sentenced to 10 years jail with a minimum non-parole period of five years. He was also ordered to pay $20,000 reparation to the victim.

Beguely was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison with a minimum non-parole period of five years and three months.