A racist thug has been sentenced to nine year's youth custody for a vicious street attack on a man whose family he had tormented for some time.

After smashing a bottle on Karl Price's face and kicking him while he was helpless on the ground, Lee Moon walked away hurling racist abuse.

Passing the long sentence on the 20-year-old, of Warrander Court, Warwick Place, Northfleet, Judge Charles Macdonald QC said: "You plainly have a race problem."

Mr Price had known Moon for about two years and suffered regular racial abuse. His girlfriend Lisa Reuter lived next door to Moon.

On May 10 last year, Mr Price's mother Ruby was driving Mr Price and his girlfriend to pick up Miss Reuter's son from a school in Silver Road, Gravesend.

They saw Moon and another man, Dean Stephens. More abuse was hurled at the family and Mr Price went over to them and asked why they were doing it.

Moon was drinking from a beer bottle and he then smashed it on the victim's left cheek. He fell to the ground and was kicked.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Price suffered disfiguring scarring to his face with loss of sensation. His lip now hangs down and he may need surgery.

Moon denied causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but was convicted by a jury.

Stephens, 22, of Gunn Road, Swanscombe, denied the charge and was acquitted. He was sentenced for three robberies of teenagers on a train.

At the time of the attack, Moon was subject to a community order for racially aggravated common assault committed in February last year.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said Moon had an obvious problem with race and a lack of incite and remorse, as he did not accept his guilt. He sought to blame Stephens.

"You had a racist grudge," he said. "It is a high culpability case. There was a repeated assault. Once he was on the ground, you kicked him. You racially abused the victim's mother after the incident."

The judge decided it was not necessary to impose indefinite imprisonment for public protection.