A father-of-two whose violent push left a stranger permanently in a coma has told a jury he was "devastated" when he found out the injuries he had caused.

Water authority worker Lewis Hayes admitted kicking firefighter Paul Reeve in the head as he was on the ground - but said he has no memory of it.

The incident at the Eagle Tavern in Rochester was caught on CCTV and shown to Maidstone Crown Court.

Hayes, 24, wiped away tears as he told the jury he had not intended to hurt Mr Reeve, who has not been able to speak since the incident two years ago.

Mr Reeve suffered a traumatic brain injury which has left him in a 'Prolonged Disorder of Consciousness' with little prospect of him ever recovering.

The prosecution claimed that Hayes - who had been drinking in four pubs that night in September 2019- became upset at the attention shown by Mr Reeve and a friend towards women in Hayes' group.

He said: "I am not a big drinker but I had gone out socialising with about 14 friends. My wife, who was pregnant at the time, was at home.

"The atmosphere was good that night. I heard from others that two men had been dancing with the women. The girls had said they felt uncomfortable about their presence.

"I had drunk maybe five or six pints of lager and on a one to 10 scale of drunkenness I was about five.

"I recall talking to the men. They were friendly. They seemed to be intoxicated. It was amicable. I didn't want there to be any issues."

Hayes claimed he and Mr Reeve shook hands and then told the firefighter "in an amicable way" to "just **** off and enjoy the rest of the night".

"Very quickly his face seemed to change and he began to squeeze my hand and said to me: 'Don't tell me to **** off'.

"He wouldn't let go of his grip and he became more aggressive and I thought he was going to attack me. From my memory I pulled him to the ground. I remember using force.

"I just wanted to create a separation and get out of that situation. From my memory, his friend got me in a headlock and I managed to jump through that," he added.

His barrister Tom Stern said the CCTV showed him pushing and not pulling Mr Reeve.

"After seeing that I fully accept I pushed him and then kicked out with my left foot and it connected with his head. I don't remember kicking. Everything happened so quick.

"I just wanted to get away from the situation."

Mr Stern asked: "Did you want to hurt him in any way?"

He replied: "Not at all."

Hayes said that when he was told at the police station of Mr Reeve's injuries he was "devastated".

He added that he couldn't remember kicking the victim in the head while wearing Chelsea boots

But Prosecutor Ed Fowler asked him: "You didn't feel threatened at all did you? These are deliberate lies... you are a liar aren't you?"

Hayes, of Eden Avenue, Chatham, denied that. He has admitted causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Reeve - but denies intending to hurt him.

The trial continues.

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