A father has described walking past his “unrecognisable” son as he lay disfigured in a hospital bed following a brutal, unprovoked attack.

“Gentle giant” Shane Leigh was punched and kicked by a gang of thugs as he walked through Canterbury city centre, leaving him unconscious, battered and bleeding from a fractured eye socket.

One onlooker later told police the group of drunken yobs, who resembled attacking “vultures”, then humilated their 6ft 7in victim by spitting on him.

Now, a judge has sent one of the gang, 17-year-old Riley Day, to a young offenders’ institution for four years - telling him it would have been closer to nine if he had been 18.

Judge Simon James told him: “This was gratuitous, sickening and senseless violence which has no place in a civilised society. It was a cowardly, vicious and sustained attack.

“I have seen pictures of Mr Leigh at the hospital - they are truly shocking.”

Day, of Darnley Road, Strood, admitted causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Judge James rejected a bid from Day’s lawyer to prevent KentOnline from reporting the teenager’s name.

Mr Leigh has now been left with facial injuries which experts fear could mean he has permanent double vision in one eye.

“This was gratuitous, sickening and senseless violence which has no place in a civilised society..." - Judge Simon James

Canterbury Crown Court heard how the brutal incident on the “complete stranger” took place in the High Street at 9pm on April 21.

The judge said it had been impossible to find a motive as to why Day and his pals picked on Mr Leigh, “other than he was in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Prosecutor James Ross told how CCTV cameras caught Day running 100 metres to get involved in the violence after another yob punched Mr Leigh in the face.

As the 24-year-old victim tried to escape, he fell “defenceless to the ground”.

Day and others then kicked him repeatedly in the head and face before spitting on him.

Mr Leigh later recalled seeing a group of four or five men “bouncing around and shouting out” as he walked through the city centre.

He said: “One of the group shouted: ‘Look at him. Let’s have him.’ The biggest one in the group started bouncing around me.

“The biggest one punched me to the chin, which hurt me. I tried to walk away. The other two or three males came over to me and started hitting me about the head and face. They were all punching me.

“The punches hurt me and I kept seeing the colour yellow as a result. I tried to push them away but I didn’t hit them back as I don’t like violence. I just wanted to get away from them.

“As I tried to run, one of them caught the back of my ankle and as I was a bit tipsy I tripped over.

"As I got to my knees one of the males kicked me to my head from behind. I tried to protect my head with my arms but the males kept kicking and punching me from behind.”

“I couldn’t see who they were but they also spat on me.”

The attack only ended when men came out of a nearby pub and shouted at the gang.

Mr Leigh added: “I remember waking up and falling unconscious and waking up and falling unconscious.”

Mr Leigh was taken to the William Harvey Hospital unable to see out of one of his eyes. He later revealed he feared he might be left blind by his injury which resulted in his eye being displaced.

After the hearing, his father Barry told of the moment he walked past his son as he lay on a hospital stretcher.

“I looked at this man on a trolley and wondered what had happened to him,” he said. “Then I told a nurse I was Shane’s father and could they take me to him. She pointed to that person and said ‘that’s him’. I couldn’t believe it. I just didn’t recognise him.”

He says his son, who loved cars, has lost his self-confidence and keeps asking: “Why me? I just had a few drinks and was sat on a bench.”

Barry added: “My son was a true gentle giant. He wouldn’t hurt anyone. He was funny and popular with friends but now he just doesn’t want to go out.”