A 14-year-old boy has admitted beating another teenager with a metal pole in a “frenzied” school playing field attack.

Horrified children and adults watched on as the boy smashed the pole around the back of the other boy’s head at Swadelands School in Lenham.

On Tuesday the boy pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon in December last year.

The court heard how one adult witness believed the victim to be dead after witnessing the attacker hitting the victim at “full force” as he lay screaming in pain on the floor.

The two boys had nearly come to blows at a youth club the previous evening.

On the day of the attack, the 14-year-old went to the school to meet a friend. When there the victim was told that the offender wanted to apologise for the argument the night before. However, when the two met the situation deteriorated into violence.

Prosecutor Jim Harvey said the victim had gone to walk away but the offender had struck him round the back of the head with the metal pole.

Mr Harvey said: “He struck again and the victim fell to the floor, he continued to strike as the victim lay screaming in pain on the floor. There was lots of blood at the scene.

“He was shouting 'you mess with me this is what happens to you’.”

Mr Harvey also told how the previous evening the offender had threatened the victim by saying “he would slice him up into little pieces and go to prison for him”.

After the attack, the victim was taken by ambulance to Maidstone Hospital with severe bruising and cuts to his face, head and body. He was kept in overnight as medics feared he may have had bleeding on the brain.

Mr Harvey said he had since self-harmed and was receiving treatment for post traumatic stress.

Defence solicitor Fionagh Green said the offender was extremely apologetic and distressed by his actions.

Mrs Green said there had been provocation from the victim, although this was disputed by Mr Harvey.

Mrs Green said: “The victim had shown a degree of anger to the offender.”

The offender’s father told the court that his son had kept a self imposed curfew since the attack.

He said: “He had been doing really well at school. This was a hicup that shouldn’t have happened.”

Magistrates adjourned the case until April 27 for pre sentence reports.

Chair of the bench Elizabeth Frost warned the offender that custody could be considered.