SCHOOLBOY Henry Webster has denied claims that racist insults were made to the gang of Asian youths accused of battering him with a claw hammer.

Henry, 16, was punched, kicked and hit repeatedly on the head with the DIY tool on a tennis court at Ridgeway School in Wroughton, last January.

He suffered three skull fractures which needed surgery, and the violent blows have left him with permanent brain damage.

Four teenagers - Wasif Khan, 18, Amjad Qazi, 19, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named - are charged with wounding with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm.

Facing questions from defence barristers at Bristol Crown Court, Henry, a former rugby prop forward, insisted there had been no racial tension with his alleged attackers.

Referring to an exchange before the brutal attack took place, Robin Shellard, representing Qazi, said: "I am suggesting that it was shouted to the group - where are your P*** mates?' "Was that what you heard?"

Henry replied: "No."

A 16-year-old witness of the attack later described the moment one of the group pulled the claw hammer out of their sleeve.

The boy, who cannot be named, said: "I was just inside the tennis courts.

"One guy pulled the hammer out of his sleeve and just smacked him.

"As soon as he hit Henry, he fell to the ground. As he lay there bleeding, people kept kicking him.

"They eventually ran off. I was right next to Henry at this point and asked him if he was all right.

"All I remember next was the sound of a car screeching away."

Henry's head was struck with such force that a hammer indent had been left on his skull. Paramedics described his injuries as life-threatening.

The court heard that Henry had agreed to take part in a one-on-one brawl with another Ridgeway pupil after "barging" into a group of Asian boys in a corridor.

But a large group of Asian males travelled from Swindon to Wroughton for the fight, following a sequence of phone calls and text messages.

The trial continues.