A Wiltshire schoolboy blinded another boy with a 'spear' after terrorising him and his friends for three years, a court has been told.

Josh Huggins, 10, has been told he will never recover the sight in his right eye after the attack in Westbury.

The 11-year-old defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have thrown a 2ft long stick with a jagged end.

The court heard the black plastic pipe bounced off a stone driveway, hitting Josh in the face.

Jagged stick

A youth court sitting in Salisbury heard Josh and his friends had been plagued by the gang of older boys for three years.

Giving evidence via a CCTV link, Josh said the boys had picked on him and called him names.

He said: "Whenever they would pass me they would kick or punch me."

In interview with police, Josh said: "The spear would have hit me in the throat or chest but I moved and it hit me in the eye instead."

The defendant said he did not mean to hit Josh and denies a charge of assault causing actual bodily harm.

The case continues.