THE teenage victim of a horrifying ammonia attack has told how being blinded has devastated his life.

Matthew Williams wrote a statement for Judge John Harrow to consider before sentencing a gang of London criminals for the terrible crime at Bournemouth Crown Court.

In it, Mr Williams, just 19, who lives in Dorset, said he fears for his future and added: "I try not to think about it but it is constantly in my head. I think about marriage and having kids and worry that I will not be able to look after them properly.

"I do not know how I can live a normal life - from driving to having a girlfriend to working, it all seems impossible. It's worse because I have experienced all these things before in my life. It is the adapting to the changes in my life I am not coping with."

Mr Williams was attacked by a gang which burst into a flat in Palmerston Road, Boscombe in October last year in what is believed to have been a drugs-motivated crime.

The victim did not live there and was just visiting and "in the wrong place at the wrong time" according to the judge.

He has been left totally blind in his left eye and has very limited vision in his right.

Reece Watkins, 22, Joe Warne, 21, 20-year-old Dominic Barker and 19-years-old Piers Fox-Havilland, all from London were found guilty of conspiracy to rob and Watkins was also convicted of throwing a corrosive substance with intent to injure.

All four were also convicted of possession of imitation firearms to commit and indictable offences following the incident.

Joe Warne was found guilty of squirting ammonia in the eyes of another man, Gary Woolgrove, in a separate incident in Somerford Road, Christchurch.

They received jail terms totalling nearly 130 years for the Palmerston Road incident and other crimes when they appeared in court on Tuesday.

In his statement, Mr Williams also told how he needs help with everyday tasks and was unable to complete a college course or enjoy a holiday with his father.