A YOUNG man with learning difficulties was subjected to a brutal attack as he sat on a bench waiting for a friend.

Anthony Burden, 18, of Bathhurst Close, Ramsgate, was sitting at the end of Allenby Road when another teenager came up to him and smashed his head five or six times against the bench.

Anthony, who is also partially deaf, suffered cuts and bruises to the right side of his face and a surgical wound to his right ear was re-opened. His mother, Margaret, who cleaned his wounds after the assault, said: “The night after the attack he was doing a lot of shouting in his sleep.

“I might be able to understand it better if a couple of lads had asked him for a fag or something beforehand, but I can’t imagine one person smacking another child’s head on a bench for no reason.”

The attack happened at 6.20pm on Monday. Anthony’s attacker was in his late teens and was wearing a grey hooded top. Anyone who knows anything is asked to contact police on 01843 225566 or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555111.