A RAIL passenger has told of his shock after being attacked by a gang in a horrific late-night attack.

Battered and bruised, Paul Roddey, 54, told The Argus about his ordeal at the hands of a group of thugs at Pulborough train station on Friday.

Mr Roddey had spent the evening in Arundel before getting off the train at Pulborough at about 11pm. He was then attacked from behind by the group, which he said included a teenage girl, on the station’s platform.

He said: “I took a severe battering. It was motiveless, there was no conversation or altercation with them before hand.

“I was totally outnumbered. There was five of them and they were all handy with their fists.

“Every time I turned my face I had another fist coming towards me.

“The boys were all egged on by this one girl, she was encouraging them. She was saying ‘get him, get him’.

“I ended up on the floor in a pool of blood with a broken nose. It went on for no more than a minute but I passed out after the attack.

“I also have two fractured cheekbones severe bruising to my head and jaw making it difficult to eat and even to speak and my right shoulder is painful and currently has restricted movement.

“I’m in real shock because nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I just can’t understand what was going through their heads.”

Mr Roddey was taken to St Richard’s hospital in Chichester for treatment to his face. He was given painkillers and has been recovering at home since the cowardly attack.

He added: “It makes me think about using the trains at certain times of night now. I’m not short in praise of the police, they arrested them very quickly.”

British Transport Police (BTP) has arrested three teenagers in relation to the attack.

A BTP spokesman said: “We were called to borough rail station at 11pm on Friday, April 24, following a report of an assault.

“Officers from BTP and Sussex Police attended the scene and a 53-year-old man, from the local area, was taken to hospital with injuries to his face.

“Four people were arrested on suspicion of actual bodily harm.

"An 18-year-old man and two 16-year-old boys, all from Haywards Heath, were interviewed under caution and subsequently released on police bail until June 20. A 21-year-old man was released with no further action.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”