TWO teenage boys have been sent to custody for subjecting a Prestwich youngster to a vicious assault.

The two 17 year olds - one from Prestwich and one from Whitefield - each admitted three assaults at Manchester Youth Court on September 11 and were sentenced today.

The first boy was sentenced to serve 18 months in a young offenders' institution and the second boy was sentenced to serve a year in a young offenders' institution. Neither can be named for legal reasons.

At around 11.25pm on September 5, Moshe Fuerst, aged 17, of  Delicot Close, Prestwich, was with three friends at Bowker Vale Metrolink Station when they started speaking to three youths on the opposite platform.

Police said the offenders crossing platforms in order to approach the victims.

Moshe and his friends pleaded with the offenders that they did not wish to fight, but were soon subjected to a sustained assault, which began when the youths started to punch and kick a 20-year-old man to the head and upper body.

As the other victims stepped in to try and stop the attack of their friend, the offenders turned their attention to the others in the group.

A chase ensued, resulting in all four victims running down the ramp leading away from the platform towards Middleton Road.

It was as the group reached the road when Moshe was punched to the face, causing him to lose consciousness.

One of the offenders then kicked Moshe as he lay prone on the pavement, before both offenders ran back towards the tram platform to escape.

Moshe was left fighting for his life in hospital, undergoing emergency surgery at Salford Royal to treat a bleed on the brain sustained as a result of the assault.

He has since been returned home, where he is recovering from his injuries.

After today's sentencing hearing. Chief Superintendent Wasim Chaudhry, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "This was a vicious and unprovoked attack which has left a young man with a serious head injury and with on-going psychological issues.

"He is scared to leave his home and is understandably anxious about going into public as a result of this attack.

"His friends, too, have been left shaken by their ordeal, which was utterly avoidable and completely unnecessary.

“At the start of this investigation GMP recorded this as a hate crime and investigated it as such.

“Greater Manchester Police take any such allegation extremely seriously.

“However, after our experienced detectives and senior figures within the Crown Prosecution Service examined the evidence closely, it was decided that this assault did not meet the threshold to be treated as a racially aggravated crime.

“That, however, takes nothing away from the severity of the incident, and I am pleased that the courts have demonstrated with this sentence that neither GMP, nor the criminal justice system, will tolerate such aggression on our streets.”

TfGM’s Metrolink director Peter Cushing, said: "Four weeks ago a teenage boy and his friends were set upon in a brutal and senseless attack at Bowker Vale tram stop.

”He suffered very serious head injuries and I continue to wish him - and others caught up in the incident - a speedy recovery.

“The shocking assault was witnessed by a driver and staff in the control room who quickly alerted police and, subsequently, we were able to handover CCTV that proved to be of great value in helping detectives identify and ultimately convict the offenders.

“The safety of passengers is of paramount importance. Vigilant staff on the ground, in our vehicles and across our control rooms are the eyes and ears of our network.

"All trams and stations are equipped with CCTV and people should be warned that if they do step outside the law their actions and faces will be captured and used to bring them to justice, as demonstrated in this instance.

“Everyone should be free to go about their business without the worry of verbal and physical assault and I want to reassure our passengers that while these incidents are extremely rare, when they do occur we will not hesitate to support the police in any way we can.”