The family of a man stabbed 17 times and left for dead today offered a reward to catch the offenders.

Two men - one wearing a clown's mask - knifed Russ West in the neck, head, back, stomach and buttocks in the garden of his Brighton home last Wednesday.

The victim's father, Brian West, speaking publicly for the first time, said: "I'm sickened by what they did. These people are just animals. Russ is no angel but he didn't deserve this."

The victim, who lives with his wife Natalie in Carden Avenue, Brighton, had his spleen removed and needed more than six litres of blood transfused during emergency surgery at the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

His father, who saw his son briefly before the operation, said: "Russ mumbled to me 'Dad, I don't think I'm going to make it'."

Mr West, 32, was still seriously ill in hospital today but is out of intensive care and improving.

Police are treating the attack as attempted murder and are investigating possible motives.

Detective Inspector Vic Marshall, heading the inquiry, said: "This was vicious. They meant to kill him."

The offenders fled as Mr West staggered into his house, opposite The Snipe pub in Patcham shortly after 9pm. His wife found him and raised the alarm.

Mr West, a 64-year-old roofer from Hove, had to clean up pools of blood at his son's home after the attack.

He and his former wife Maria, 60, who lives in Moulsecoomb, Brighton, are not religious but they prayed for their son.

Mr West said: "The whole family has rallied round since the attack. We are offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits."

Staff at the Matalan store in Hollingbury, close to the victim's home, read of the assault and later found a clown's mask inside the shop. It is now being checked for fingerprints.

One offender was thin, 5ft 11in tall and wore a clown's mask, a light-coloured hooded jacket with a logo on the right-hand breast pocket, jeans and white trainers.

The second was skinny, 6ft 1in tall and wore a light-coloured jacket with a hood.

Police said the mask found could well be the one worn by one of the attackers.

It is coloured while witnesses described the attacker's mask as black and white. But Mr Marshall said: "It could have looked black and white because of the time of day. It was dark at the time."

Anyone with information should contact Brighton CID on 0845 6070999 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.