A LANDSCAPE gardener who needed surgery to re-build his shattered face following a brutal gang attack has spoken of the unprovoked assault.

Howard Green was set upon as he walked back from his local off-licence to the flat he shares with his girlfriend in Christchurch Road, Boscombe.

The 31-year-old was dragged into the road by a group of thugs who repeatedly punched and kicked him in the face. Mr Green's right cheekbone and nose were broken by the force of the blows and both his eye sockets fractured.

"We were planning to have a drink to celebrate my birthday the next day before going out on the town," he recalled. "Instead I ended up spending my birthday unconscious in the intensive care unit at Poole Hospital, relying on a ventilator to breathe. They could have killed me."

Howard's anxious family and girlfriend had to wait 24 hours to find out if he had suffered brain damage or been blinded.

"The surgeons said I was very lucky to have survived because all the blows had been aimed at my head," he said.

"It's the second time in four months I've been attacked on the streets of Boscombe and there is no way I am staying here and running the risk again."

Mr Green's parents are now helping the couple find a new home in Poole.

"It's not safe to walk alone on the streets anymore. I dread to think what would have happened if an old person or a woman had been at the receiving end. They wouldn't have stood a chance.

"The men who attacked me were vicious. I remember one taunting me as I walked towards them on the Cleveland Road railway bridge. He took a few swings and I managed to duck. His friends tried to usher him away but he became more aggressive.

"He was about 5ft 10ins tall with fair, short hair and a slim build. I felt myself being dragged into the road and saw three faces above me. Fists and feet kept coming down on my face. I was lapsing in and out of consciousness.

"The next thing I remember is waking up two days later. I was shocked when I saw the state of my face.

"My cheekbone had been smashed in and plates inserted to re-build it. I needed keyhole surgery on both eyes.

"When I was attacked I had more than £100 on me but, by the time I got to hospital, I had only £26. They also took the bottle of wine I'd bought to toast my birthday. These men must be caught before they can do the same - or even worse - again."

Mr Green was discharged from hospital on Thursday, six days after the attack.

Detectives are renewing their appeal for information about the assault, which happened at about 9.30pm on January 21. DC Martin Farrington described it as "totally unprovoked and cowardly".

Three local men arrested in Holdenhurst Road half-an-hour later were released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Anyone with information should call 01202 222 222 or the confidential Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.

First published: January 31