TWO young boys who were seriously injured in a horrific attack are spending a fifth day in hospital recovering from their injuries.

The nine-year-old and the 11-year-old are continuing their recovery the day after two young brothers faced a court accused of attempting to murder them.

According to a family friend quoted in a newspaper, the elder of the two victims spoke for the first time since the attack. He asked for a drink and said he felt "a bit better".

The brothers, aged 10 and 11, were barely tall enough to see out of the dock when they appeared together at Doncaster Youth Court flanked by security guards.

The two victims suffered a series of assaults, which allegedly included being burned with cigarettes, attacked with bricks and slashed.

The attack in the former pit village of Edlington, near Doncaster, last Saturday was described as "shocking" by both the Prime Minister and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

The Crown Prosecution Service announced the two boys were being charged with attempted murder and robbery.

The accused, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were remanded into secure council accommodation until April 14.

The pair showed no emotion as they stood in the dock with three security guards.

The older boy began the hearing wearing a red England shirt and his younger brother a grey Umbro T-shirt.

The two boys each face the same four charges.

These are that they attempted to murder the two boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at Doncaster on April 4 and that they robbed each of the youngsters on the same date.

According to the robbery charges, the brothers are accused of taking a mobile phone from the younger boy and £5 from the older boy during the attack.