A 15 year-old thug has been jailed after battering a construction worker unconscious with a plank of wood for just £100.

The teenager, from Ilford, - who cannot be named - will serve just 15 months after being found guilty of carrying out the brutal attack on 46 year-old William Rowley.

The mugger, and his accomplice, also 15, left Mr Rowley for dead before a passer-by called the police after finding him lying in a pool of blood.

Mr Rowley - a construction worker on the Stratford Olympic site - received serious head injuries during the assault, and lost the hearing in his left ear.

Jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how Mr Rowley was left unable to work because of his injuries, and lost his job and his home as a result.

The 15-year-old was sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution - but he will serve just 15 months because of time spent on remand and an early release scheme.

The other teenager, who is being held at Goodmayes Hospital, in Ilford, did not appear in court after he was judged mentally unfit to plead.

The Ilford teenager admitted two counts of robbery, grievous bodily harm with intent and actual bodily harm.

His accomplice, who was unfit to plead, was accused of two counts of robbery and grievous bodily harm.