Two teenagers have been found guilty of a sickening attack that could have killed their victim.

Alex Rhodes, 18, kneed Mo Choudhury in the neck and punched him in the head as he fell to the ground.

Mr Choudhury's skull was so badly fractured it pressed on his brain causing an epileptic fit.

He was left shaking on the ground coughing up blood after the attack in Oxford Street, Brighton.

The violence was recorded on a mobile phone by Oliver Pierce, 15, who urged Rhodes to "have him".

Mr Choudhury was rushed to a specialist brain injury unit at Haywards Heath where he needed an emergency operation to rebuild his skull.

Doctors said the injuries were so serious the 18-year-old student at City College, Brighton, could have died or been left permanently disabled.

He spent a week in hospital but has made a good recovery from his injuries.

A jury at Hove Crown Court today found Rhodes and Pierce guilty of causing him grievous bodily harm.

They were cleared of the more serious charge of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

The attack happened after Rhodes barged into Mr Choudhury outside Somerfield in London Road, Brighton.

He was heading to The Level with four friends during a college lunchbreak on May 15.

The victim and his friends continued walking but Rhodes and Pierce followed them into Oxford Street.

He added: "The taller boy came up to my face. He was very angry and had his fists clenched.

"The smaller boy had his phone out as if he was trying to record something.

"I put my hands up to my face because I thought the older boy was going to hit me. That is the last thing I can remember.

"The next thing, I was waking up on the ground feeling cold. That is when I went into a fit.

"I have never suffered epileptic fits before.

"The doctor said my skull was cracked and was touching my brain.

"He said it was life-threatening and that I was very lucky to be alive."

Pierce deleted footage of the attack from his mobile phone soon after it happened.

But detectives found more sickening images of him fighting on it after he was arrested.

He was seen punching and kicking another teenager on a grass island in Grand Parade, Brighton.

And in a separate attack he kicked the head of an unidentified youth who was sitting on a bench.

The court heard that both Rhodes and Pierce have previous convictions for violence.

Gareth Branston, prosecuting, told the jury during the two-week trial: "You may have heard of happy slapping. There was nothing happy about this incident.

"It was more like miserable thuggery than happy slapping.

"It was a seriously shocking incident filmed by two young men with an unhealthy interest in violence."

Rhodes, of Pevensey Road, Newhaven, claimed he acted in self-defence after he was attacked by Mr Choudhury and his friends.

Pierce, of Lyndhurst Road, Hove, said he had not taken part in the attack.

He claimed Rhodes told him to film it because they thought Mr Choudhury had a knife.

Recorder Peter Gower, QC, asked for reports to be prepared before both teenagers are sentenced on November 2.

He ordered that the danger the teenagers pose to the public should be considered before he sentences them.

After the verdict the judge lifted an order preventing The Argus from naming Pierce because of his age.

He said it was in the public interest that justice should be seen to be done and added that identifying Pierce could help deter other juveniles from committing serious offences.