A man was attacked and beaten by a mob of youths as he tried to help a friend in trouble

Factory worker Terry Rice was on his way home on Friday night when he spotted a gang of 15 youths circling an old friend.

Terry, 22, intervened but when the friend ran off the gang turned on Terry.

He was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked, punched and stamped on.

Passers-by in London Road, Brighton, called 999 and Terry was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, where doctors are treating him for head injuries, abdominal bruising and an ankle broken in three places.

Terry's girlfriend Fiona Maskell said: "Terry is in an awful lot of pain and is on morphine.

"When he came in, the bones in his ankle were sticking through his skin.

"The doctors say it is severely damaged. It's going be a long time before he walks on it again and he will probably never be able to run.

"It seems so unfair. Terry wasn't looking for trouble. He was just trying to help a friend."

Terry and Fiona, 23, live in Robin Davis Close, Bevendean. They have two children, Chelsea, five and ten-month-old Angel. Fiona is 14 weeks pregnant with their third child.

Fiona said: "Terry won't be able to work for quite a while, which is going to be a big worry. Although he doesn't do that much sport, he won't be able to take Chelsea out on her bike or play with the children like he has done."

Terry had been visiting a friend in Hastings on Friday night when he got a call to say Fiona had developed a problem with her pregnancy.

Fiona said: "I went to the hospital for some checks. I rang Terry and he was on his way back to see me when he was attacked.

"He didn't know any of this gang. He just saw an old friend caught in the middle of them and wanted to help."