A mother has welcomed a £3.4m damages award, granted after her son was born with severe disabilities as a result of 'sub-standard' treatment at The Horton Hospital in Banbury.

Maria Breen with son Oliver Davies

Oliver Davies, now eight, was starved of oxygen at birth and developed a severe form of cerebral palsy, the High Court in London heard on Monday.

The damages payout -- one of the highest of its kind ever made -- was agreed after the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the hospital, admitted liability.

Oliver's mother Maria Breen, of St Anne's Road, Banbury, said: "The money will provide for Oliver for the rest of his life. We are pleased that his future has been secured and that we can buy him the care he needs. It will give him everything necessary to help him reach his full potential."

The court was told by Oliver's barrister, James Badenoch, that in 1995, his mother went into labour six weeks early. She was taken to The Horton where a surgeon ordered an immediate Caesarian operation.

But there was a delay of some hours before a doctor decided to carry out a normal delivery.

Mr Badenoch said the saddest aspect of the case was that Oliver's intelligence was thought to be intact -- which meant he would be aware of what he had lost and what might have been.

Mr Badenoch said that if Oliver had been delivered 20 minutes earlier he would probably have been born uninjured. His twin brother Will was in distress after birth and now suffers from Aspberger's Syndrome, a type of autism.

Nicolas Stallworthy, for the hospital trust, said a letter of apology had been sent to Oliver and his parents, now divorced, and it welcomed the opportunity to apologise publicly.

Approving the £3.4m agreed settlement, Mrs Justice Cox said: "Despite the severity of Oliver's injuries, it has been encouraging to read the various reports of the progress Oliver has already made and will, I feel sure, continue to make."

She paid tribute to the love and attention given to Oliver, in particular from his mother.