A STUDENT at K College was part of a gang who teased a man over his stammer and then beat him in a vicious attack.

Oliver Lynch, 21, sent Thomas Ferdinando toppling into a brick wall, causing a bleed on his brain and a blood clot, in the assault in Sevenoaks on October 9.

Lynch pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm at a hearing at Sevenoaks Magistrates' Court on Friday and will be sentenced next Friday, January 21.

He described the night as a "mess".

He said: "It kicked off with a lot of kids, it was a big group of them.

"I just reacted instantly, and I'd had a bit to drink.

"It happened in a split-second and I got him with a single blow.

"Obviously, I'm very remorseful. There were so many people, it was hard to tell what was happening."

But his victim has vowed not to let the assault, which resulted in a brain injury, ruin his life.

The 20-year-old was visiting pubs in Sevenoaks with a friend on October 9 when he was set upon by a gang of men following a bust-up at the Oak Tree, in the High Street.

Mr Ferdinando was ordering a round of drinks when another man commented about his stammer.

A row started and spilled out on to the street, and he and his friend found themselves facing the other group in Brewery Lane.

He said: "The last thing I remember is someone squaring up to my mate, then I woke up halfway through a CAT scan."

Mr Ferdinando had been rushed to the Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells.

When doctors realised he had suffered a bleed on the brain, he was taken to King's College Hospital, London.

His mother Julie, who lives with her son and husband in Buxton Crescent, North Cheam, said: " I was more worried about him driving down on the M25. I never imagined I'd get a call at 3.30am from his friend saying 'come quickly, Tom's been hurt'."

Although Mr Ferdinando, who works in accounts for the London Borough of Sutton, is making a good recovery, he said the mental wounds will take longer to heal.

He said: "You feel vulnerable. You don't think it will ever happen to you, so when it does, it leaves you doubting yourself and everybody else."

Mrs Ferdinando said: "Christmas was difficult for our family. It makes me very angry to know [Lynch] is fine and Tom is suffering so much."

However, her son will not be in court to see Lynch, of White Hart Parade, London Road, in Riverhead, being sentenced.

He added: "He's ruined enough of my life. I won't let him take up any more of it."