Turner was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court

by Keith Hunt

A thug who left a friend with "catastrophic" brain damage after a horrifying revenge attack with a garden fork has been locked up for nine years.

Under the extended youth custody sentence for public protection, Lewis Turner will be on licence for a further four years.

Deputy Judge Andrew Patience QC told 20-year-old Turner: "What happened on this day was truly terrible and your behaviour was wicked."

Rob Reed, 26, suffered a fractured skull and he will need an operation to insert metal plates. He will be left with speech and memory problems.

Turner, of Kirby Road, Stone, admitted wounding with intent.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the victim went to Turner's home on May 9 last year and smashed a window because he believed he had stolen his television.

Turner returned home and, on discovering the damage, armed himself with the fork.

He was captured him on CCTV cameras walking purposely to Mr Reed's house in Hill House Road, said prosecutor Alistair Keith. He went to the garden and shouted to Mr Reed: "Come here you."

Neighbour Eva Bishop later told police she saw Mr Reed was holding a spade and the pair started swinging the garden implements at each other.

A crowd of youngsters on bikes gathered and witnessed the violence.

"what happened was truly terrible and your behaviour was wicked…” – deputy judge andrew patience qc"

The head of Mr Reed's spade came off, leaving him unarmed. Soon afterwards, the neighbour saw Mr Reed fall to the ground unconscious.

Turner, she said, was hyped up and angry.

Asked if the victim was alright, Turner said: "He is fine." He stood over Mr Reed and said: "Come on, do you still want to fight me?"

Mr Keith said: "It is clear this defendant had struck him with force to the side of the head with the fork.

"Miss Bishop went over to him. She could see a lot of blood coming from the side of his head. Two boys were trying to put him in the recovery position."

Mr Reed was taken to Darent Valley Hospital and then transferred to London's King's College Hospital.

Mr Keith said the right side of the victim's skull was fractured in several places with bleeding into the brain. He remained an in-patient at a neuro rehabilitation unit in Sevenoaks.

"His speech will be permanently damaged and he will struggle to communicate," added Mr Keith.