This horrifying picture is of Ricardo Saroyan-James, beaten up for being gay.

In an unprovoked attack while he walked alone in Kemp Town, Brighton, he was kicked unconscious and left with a broken nose, chipped teeth and needing 26 stitches to his head.

Mr Saroyan-James, 29, believes he is lucky to be alive and has appealed to the family and friends of his attackers to examine their consciences.

He said: "I feel lucky to be alive. It was a very frenzied and vicious attack and they kept kicking me in the head after I was on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.

"They could have cracked my skull, they could have kept going until I was dead but I am trying not to think about what-ifs.

"They attacked me because I was gay but they had just assumed I was gay. I didn't say anything to suggest I was and I wasn't dressed particularly gay.

"If they could be this violent once they could be this violent to anybody.

"There's something inhuman about someone who can do this to another human being. I can't understand why someone would just lay into someone else for no reason and keep going when they are bleeding and unconscious.

"They would have gone home covered in blood and might have boasted about what they did. I would appeal to their girlfriends, friends and family to go to the police.

"I am gay but I am someone's son, someone's flatmate, someone's friend. How would they like it if this happened to a relation of theirs?"

Mr Saroyan-James was approached by two men in St George's Road, at the corner of Bristol Street in Brighton. One said he had to beat up Mr Saroyan-James because he was gay and his mate had told him to.

The IT consultant said: "The officer I spoke to was very sympathetic and professional and didn't squirm away from the fact it was a crime committed on a gay man and I commend him for that."

Det Con Bill Warner appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Mr Saroyan-James described the first attacker as white, in his early twenties, 5ft 8in, of medium build with dark hair, and the second man as also in his early twenties, slightly taller and with short blond or fair hair shaved at the sides, of heavy build, with dark trousers and a dark jumper.