EXCLUSIVE

By Anna Edwards

A teenager suffered appalling injuries when two yobs stamped on his head at a busy town centre tram stop.

Commuters watched in horror on Tuesday afternoon as the 18-year-old was brutally beaten and left in a bloody puddle.

Trams came to a halt for more than an hour as British Transport Police (BTP) officers looked for his attackers.

Steve Denver witnessed the aftermath of the beating, which occurred at around 5.10pm at the Church Street stop.

He said: "He was lying on the floor, he could barely speak, he was mumbling.

"No one deserves that, it was sickening."

Mr Denver said there was a frantic search to try and track down the thugs.

He added: "They taped off Old Palace Road and there were three trams backed up while police looked for them.

"The attackers could have run off up Tamworth Road. I hope the boy's alright."

The teenager suffered severe head injuries, in what police believe was a gang-related attack.

A police source said: "It looks like two gang members beat up another one.

"It looks like two members of Lick Man Down (LMD) beat up a member of Don't Say Nothing (DSN).

"We don't know why it kicked off, it's a standard gang thing, they don't need a reason."

Shopper Gina Tierney said the fight did not surprise her, but that she feared for her son.

She said: "It does scare me, it's every day you hear of this sort of thing happening.

"It does make you worry if it happens in the middle of the afternoon, it's not the sort of thing you expect to happen at 5pm.

"It could have taken one wrong stamp to kill him - one on his temple, that could have been it, gone."

BTP officers have leafleted local pubs and newsagents appealing for information.

Last year a string of violent town centre confrontations were blamed on gangs, with Don't Say Nothing having claimed the area as their "turf".

But in recent months police claim to have cracked the problem.

Indeed only last week Inspector Simon Ellingham said there hadn't been a gang-related incident in the town centre for many months.

The victim was taken to Mayday Hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition.

A 19-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and has been released on bail.

Anyone with any information that may assist the police with the investigation is asked to contact the BTP on 0800 40 50 40.