A seventh arrest has been made after a 17-year-old German exchange student was hospitalised with severe head injuries after he was attacked by a group of teenagers in Canterbury.

Police were called to Whitefriars Street on Thursday evening amid reports of an assault and the victim was taken to a London hospital by air ambulance where he remains in a serious condition.

The Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate is leading the investigation.

A 16-year-old boy, a 16-year-old girl and two 15-year-old boys, all from Canterbury, and a 17-year-old boy from Margate were arrested as part of the investigation.

A 44-year-old man of no fixed address was also arrested, on suspicion of assisting an offender. They were all later released on bail, pending further enquiries.

A further suspect, a 17-year-old boy from Canterbury, was arrested during the evening of Saturday 8 June and he remains in custody.

The Guardian reports that the victim is thought to be originally from Lebanon and that his parents are settled in Germany but are not EU citizens.

Rosie Duffield, MP for Canterbury, appealed to expedite the visa process to allow his mother to visit as soon as possible.

She told the newspaper: “We are appalled by this vicious attack. My team worked on this and I approached the home secretary to request that visas for family members were expedited. The home secretary responded positively to this request.”  

Officers are continuing to appeal to witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.

If you have information that may assist the investigation and have yet to contact police please call 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/108995/19

Alternatively, you can call the independent charity, Crimestoppers in Kent, anonymously, on 0800 555111.