A NIGHT out celebrating a friend's birthday turned into a nightmare for Luke Dwan when he was followed into a pub toilet, beaten, kicked in the head and left unconscious in a pool of blood.

The 20-year-old had spent the evening drinking with friends as part of an 18th birthday celebration.

After a few beers and some verbal sparring at the bar of The Old Rectory Pub, Oxley Shaw Lane, Leybourne, near Maidstone, Mr Dwan made a trip to the toilet. But he was not alone his attacker was right behind him.

His stepfather, Alex Jordan, said: "He doesn't remember a great deal. He was confronted by a person who said he had embarrassed him in front of his friends and proceeded to beat him up.

"He fell back and knocked himself unconscious and the assailant proceeded to kick him repeatedly in the head.

"His nose is to one side, fortunately he still has his teeth. He can barely breath because his nose is so bloodied it's been blocked. He has to drink through a straw because he can't move his jaw."

Despite his injuries, Mr Dwan insisted on going to his sister's wedding the following day.

"He could hardly attend to his usher duties because there's not much left of his face at the moment," said Mr Jordan, who is offering a £2,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of his stepson's attacker.

"My daughter was extremely upset. She came round with all the bridesmaids and took one look at him and burst into tears. Being her brother, and on her wedding day, it's not what she wanted."

Mr Jordan, from Aylesford, says that his stepson, who works as a horticulturist, was not an aggressive man and was devastated at the thought of ruining his sister's wedding day. At the reception, Mr Dwan had to ask for soup as he was unable to eat the wedding meal.

Mr Jordan said: "He is a complete wuss to be honest, he hasn't got an ounce of hate in him whatsoever.

"Mentally he's been very, very down the first couple of days because he's let his sister down, he feels. He may become a total introvert and never go out again."

Mr Dwan's attacker is white, aged about 25, 5ft 9in, fairly well built, with brown hair. He was wearing a white sleeveless T-shirt and jeans.

Pub manager Darren Bisphan said he has asked most of his customers there on the night of the attack if they had seen anything, but so far there are no witnesses.

"Nobody saw anything at all," he said. "I've got a feeling it was nobody from round here."

Anyone with information about the attack which happened at about 10.30 on Saturday, May 28, is asked to call police on 01622 608189.

* Luke told kmfm that members of his family were shocked by the state of his injuries...