A DISTRAUGHT man claims his disabled brother was the victim of a hate crime by a group of schoolchildren.

On Wednesday we reported that a gang of youths had brutally attacked a 36-year-old man in Roedale Road in Hollingdean, Brighton.

It has since emerged that the group repeatedly stamping on the head of the victim, who has Huntington’s disease.

He was taken to hospital after suffering a seizure brought on by the attack.

The man, who asked not to be named, said: “A group of four or five schoolchildren targeted my brother, probably because of the way he looks, and attacked him.

“On Monday they saw him on the bus eating his lunch and two boys slapped it out of his hands.

“Someone said to leave him alone because he is disabled so they must have known.

“Then they saw him on his own on Tuesday and attacked him.

“They kicked and punched him in the head repeatedly.”

The thugs also threatened to stab the man during the attack.

The victim was taken to Royal Sussex County hospital and put on a drip.

The brother said: “My brother got one of the children’s bus passes to identify them to police and this made the gang call for more people.

“He ran into the Sure Start centre in Brentwood Road where staff locked the door to protect him from the kids waiting outside, but because of his disease he gets worried and it made him run out the fire exit.

“That is when they all got him and started beating him up.”

The brother said the victim is embarrassed about the incident and it has led to him and his wife talking about moving homes to get away from the youths.

The victim also has a young daughter.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “At around 3.30pm on Tuesday, 27 June, police attended a report of a fight at the junction of Roedale Road and Dudley Road, Hollingbury.

“A 36-year-old Brighton man was involved in a confrontation with youths.

“A 16-year-old Brighton boy was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and has since been questioned and released under investigation.”