Dad's plea to catch gang who beat him in vicious attack

Anthony Wade, 31, was set upon by a gang of up to six men in a terrifying attack outside a Poulton nightclub.

The electrician, from Poulton, was on a night out with friends when the assault happened in the early hours of last Saturday.

He suffered a broken nose and is awaiting the results of scans looking for possible brain damage.

His injuries were so horrific Anthony could not face his two children on Fathers’ Day and he has yet to let Ryan, five, and Alisha, eight, know what happened.

“I just want whoever has done this to pay the price,” said Anthony.

“They should be in prison.

“I was out on a Friday night, I was just about to go home.

“I don’t remember what has happened.

“I’ve been knocked to the ground and all I can remember is people stamping and kicking me.

“There were maybe four or six people.”

Separated dad Anthony believes the assault may have begun when somebody tried to take a photograph on a mobile phone.

“I’ve brushed it out of the way and knocked it out of the guy’s hand.

“Next thing I know I’m on the ground.

“I’ve got fractures to my nose and there was a lot of bleeding.

“I wasn’t released from hospital until Monday lunchtime.

“I missed spending Fathers’ Day with my children.

“I wouldn’t want them to see me like this.

“I’ve not seen them yet, they’ve been with their mum, because I don’t want them to know what happened.”

The trauma isn’t over for Anthony who has to return to hospital for more tests.

“I’ve had a CAT scan and there is no brain damage.

“That’s as far as they can tell.

“But it could have been so different.

“You hear of cases like this where people are killed.

“I want to get the appeal out there, these people need to be caught, they need to go to prison.”

Lancashire Police confirmed the assault had taken place in Vicarage Road, Poulton at around 3.20am on June 18.

A spokesman said: “We were called to reports of a fight and on arrival found a man had been kicked and punched on the ground by several individuals who had run away from the scene.

“The aggrieved suffered a suspected broken nose and was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital.”

Police are hoping there might be CCTV footage of the incident.

Nobody has been arrested in connection with the attack and officers are now hoping the public might hold key evidence.

Anyone who witnessed the attack or has information should call 101 quoting log 0231 of June 18.