A BOY of five, left profoundly brain-damaged after he was starved of oxygen during his birth at a Kent hospital, has won a compensation deal worth £3.7 million.

The youngster, who lives in east Kent but cannot be named for legal reasons, was born at Kent and Canterbury Hospital in 2002 and will need intensive care for the rest of his life.

Lawyers representing the East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust issued a public apology at the High Court to the youngster and paid glowing tribute to his devoted parents.

John Grace, QC, said the trust had admitted liability for the boy’s injuries at an early stage and recognised that the level of care given to him and his mother around the time of his birth had fallen below the standards to be expected.

He told Mr Justice Jack: “We recognise that no amount of money can compensate for this boy’s profound brain damage, but we do hope the money will at least allow him and his parents to have as full and satisfying a life as possible.”

The court heard that, under the terms of the settlement, the boy will receive an immediate lump sum of more than £1.4 million.

On top of that, the trust will make index-linked annual payments of £100,000-a-year until he reaches his ninth birthday. After that the annual payments will rise to £212,000 for as long as he lives. The settlement in total was valued at around £3.7 million.