A COLLEGE student has told a jury he never meant to seriously injure a man he punched in the face and was "gutted" about what he had done to him.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, said he would have to live with what happened to Craig Kaye, who needed life-saving surgery and has been left brain damaged.

The student is on on trial at Bradford Crown Court, along with Warren Smith, 46, of Hillam Street, Great Horton, Bradford, and Andrew Sibson, 39, of Northdale Mount, Wibsey.

All three deny causing Mr Kaye grievous bodily harm with intent in Hollybank Road, Great Horton, in the early hours of September 1 last year.

They are accused of jointly seeking him out and surrounding him in the street before he was assaulted.

The teenager, who was 16 at the time, has pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of causing grievous bodily harm.

Smith and Sibson deny that offence.

Smith has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by lying to the police. Sibson denies the charge.

The smartly-dressed student told the jury today he had never been in any trouble with the police before he was arrested for this offence.

He and the two men confronted Mr Kaye after another 16-year-old boy said he had hit him at a party that night.

The student said he pushed Mr Kaye and kicked him on the leg after he fell over.

Mr Kaye got to his feet and he, Smith and Sibson walked away.

"I just got angry again and I just went back," he said.

He did not intend to cause Mr Kaye serious injury when he punched him once to the left side of his face.

Asked by his barrister, Mark Brookes, how he felt about Mr Kaye's injury, he said: "It is just something I am going to have to live through. I genuinely didn't mean to do that."

He said he was "gutted" about the effect on Mr Kaye's wife, Anne-Marie.

Questioned by prosecution barrister, Graham Reeds, the student said: "I just lost my temper. I never meant to do that."

It was in the heat of the moment and he expected to cause no more than bruising.

The court has heard that Mr Kaye, 40, of Great Horton Road, Bradford, suffered a life-threatening brain injury.

He was still in hospital nine months later and his "outlook was bleak".

The trial continues.