A teenage Muslim who denies battering a schoolboy with a hammer told a jury today that he was under pressure from his local Asian community not to name the teenager responsible.

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

He suffered three skull fractures, one of which caused brain injury and needed surgery.

Four teenagers from Swindon - Wasif Khan, 18, of Caversham Close, Amjad Qazi, 19, of Broad Street, and two boys aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named - are charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm.

The jury already heard evidence from witnesses who saw an Asian youth wearing a hoodie attack Henry with a hammer during the group attack.

Defending Khan, Peter Henry told the jury his client denies striking Henry and never possessed a hammer.

Mr Henry said co-accused Qazi told a series of lies naming Khan as "the hammer man" and will tell the jury he insists Khan was wearing the identifying Dolce and Gabbana hoodie on the day of the attack.

Addressing the jury, Mr Henry said: "You will hear why Wasif Khan made no comment in his interview.

"You will hear from him about a culture that may be different. You will hear about a community and family pressure not to name other people and not to put the blame on other people."

Giving evidence for the first time today, Khan said he saw Qazi "striking" Henry with "something silver in his hand."

Mr Henry asked Khan if it had "been easy to name names" during the investigation and the trial.

Khan said: "It's been very hard for me. Swindon has a very small Asian community.

"Everyone knows everyone, every family knows every family. I didn't want to name Mr Qazi because his dad is an imam at the mosque.

"He taught me Islam studies. In my religion we have got to have major respect for the imam.

"He taught me about Islam, he taught me about the Koran, he taught me to pray.

"I didn't want to name his son. I was under immense pressure from the community and my family not to name Mr Qazi.

"But he kept lying. He came up with four different stories so I had to say something.

"I didn't think he would carry on lying. I thought he would come to court and tell them what happened.

"I never joined in with the violence."

Khan, who is studying plumbing at New College, Swindon, told the jury he went to college on the day of the attack to "hang with friends" as he had a free day off.

Later in the day, he accepted a ride home in a Peugeot 106 with a group of friends, including Qazi, which stopped on route near to Ridgeway School in Dunbar Road.

Khan said: "I had no intention to be part of a violent attack. I had no hammer on me.

"I didn't go home. There was no opportunity for me to get a hammer.

"I wasn't aware of there being a hammer on route to school."

The teenager said the car he was in pulled up behind another friends' car - a Renault Megane. Khan said he got out to chat with the passengers and saw two boys walking toward the school.

He said: "I followed on. I saw they were all milling around the tennis courts.

"I started thinking 'why have they entered the courts?' "As I entered the tennis courts there were a lot of people inside.

"There was a lot of movement going round. There were about 100 to 150 people in the courts.

"I realised fighting had kicked off. At the time I was trying to get a good view.

"If you imagine what a school fight is like. When school fights happen you get a lot of school kids shouting, chanting.

"I saw Amjad Qazi. He was wearing a grey black-silver hood.

"I walked through to grab them and get them out there because I thought it was going to spell trouble.

"I saw Qazi striking Henry Webster. He had some gloves on, so I could see he had something silver in his hand.

"I thought it was a knuckle-duster because there was so much blood.

"I ran through the tennis courts and Henry Webster's head was right next to my shoe.

"It was a bit shocking. I saw Mr Qazi striking him.

"I remained there for a couple of seconds then someone shouted 'run'.

"I ran as well, because I panicked and I didn't want to be in the centre of it all.

"I never attacked him. I just wanted to get out of there."

Khan returned to the Peugeot with Qazi and two other friends. After dropping one of the passengers off, they arrived at a park in Salisbury Street, Swindon, where they met Khan's older cousin.

Khan said his cousin had been in town and showed him a mobile phone he had bought. The boys entered the park and hung the bag containing the mobile phone on nearby railings.

Mr Henry said: "When you were arrested, you had that bag and the police found a mobile phone and the D&G inside."

Khan replied: "I didn't put the hoodie in the bag. I don't know who put it in there."

The trial continues.