A COLLEGE student has been left paralysed on one side of his body after being stabbed with a chisel in a carpentry class.

The 16-year-old boy, from Basildon, suffered the injury during a lesson at Prospects College in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend.

He remains in hospital where doctors fear it will be at least a month before they will know whether the paralysis will be permanent. On Wednesday, a 16- year-old boy, also from Basildon, and who can’t be named for legal reasons, appeared at Southend Magistrates’ Court charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm after the incident at the college, on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Lesley Chipps revealed, during the brief hearing, the extent of the boy’s injuries.

She said: “Pieces of wood were thrown towards him and the allegations are that he picked up a chisel and the victim was stabbed in the throat with that chisel, receiving very serious injuries as a result of that. It could be a month before doctors know what the implications are, but he is currently paralysed down one side of his body.”

The defendant was granted bail and ordered to appear before Southend Youth Court yesterday for a plea and case management hearing.

Ambulance crews went to Prospects College, which provides vocational training for 16 to 19 year olds, after the incident, which took place about noon.

They then alerted police and the victim was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel, after treatment from critical care paramedics at the scene.