A self-styled preacher tried to murder a restaurant owner after objecting to how a female member of staff was dressed, it has been claimed.

Uber Eats driver Hamdi Braeik is accused of jumping on the head of his victim during a "ferociously violent" attack in Brenchley Gardens in Maidstone in May, leaving him with severe brain damage.

The 34-year-old has denied attempting to murder Mukhtar Hussain, 35.

The jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard how Mr Hussein is part-owner of Grill 91, a takeaway restaurant in Week Street, Maidstone.

Earlier that day, Braeik of Hart Street, Maidstone, was involved in a row with a transgender woman.

Prosecutor Daniel Stevenson told the jury: "At around 4pm, in Fremlin Walk he punched the woman and a friend.

"She identifies as a transgender woman. They were walking along Fremlin walk minding their own business.

"The defendant took exception to her appearance and questioned whether she was a woman and whether her trans identity was consistent with a belief in God, Jesus or Mohammed."

The prosecutor added: "Whatever his personal views were, he had no business expressing them to her.

She responded "robustly and provocatively to his transphobic questioning" and in response he launched an attack on her, swinging punches to her face and attacking her friend. Fortunately, neither were seriously injured.

Later, he told police that he had assaulted them after he tried to warn them about judgment day. He has admitted the two assaults, the jury heard.

Two hours later Braeik went into Grill 91 and began a discussion with staff - complaining that one woman "had her boobs hanging out" which offended him. He said it was unprofessional.

"He gave her words of advice because he was unhappy with the way that she was dressed.

"Again, you may think that the way in which a member of staff working in a hot takeaway restaurant chose to dress was absolutely none of his business, " said Mr Stevenson.

George Ayling, who works at the Society Rooms Wetherspoon on Week Street, saw the defendant rugby tackling Mr Hussain to the ground before delivering several blows to his head.

He told the jury he saw Braeik get his victim in a choke hold for 30 seconds, only stopping when he became unconscious. "He then stamped on his head," he said.

"After the first stamp I ran over but before I got there I saw five or six more stamps. Male One (Braeik) then ran away. Male Two (Hussain) remained unconscious."

The prosecutor told the jury that "despite the victim's incapacity" Braeik had "increased ferocity" stamping on Mr Hussain's head several times.

The victim was airlifted to King's College Hospital in London where he underwent a CT scan which confirmed that he had suffered a bleed on the brain.

The prosecutor told the jury that Mr Hussain is now an inpatient at a hospital specialising in rehabilitation.

"He remains profoundly cognitively impaired. He suffers from confusion and confabulation and does not have the capacity to give an account or to give evidence," he said.

Braeik told police that he was preaching when he claimed Mr Hussain insulted him and claimed he had a knife.

He continued to assert that he was protecting himself, but when the police officer pointed out that Mr Hussain ran away when first confronted he responded by saying: “That's because he’s a *****,” adding that he chased Mr Hussain “because he had no faith”.

When he was asked about whether he thought the force he used was reasonable he replied: “I’m innocent… God shows you proof.”

The prosecutor added: "The Crown’s case is that the defendant formed the intention to kill Mr Hussain."

The trial continues.