A MAN was forced off a footpath and robbed by a gang who attacked him.

The 37-year-old reported walking along a footpath from Maiden Lane to Crawley Avenue in the Ewhurst Wood area of Crawley.

It happened at 5pm on Friday.

The victim saw three men approach him, and after words were exchanged he tried to leave, but was pulled back into the wood.

There three men attacked him, causing him injuries to his face neck and body. He was then sexually assaulted and robbed of money before the men left the scene.

Police are appealing for witnesses and said one suspect was a broadly built black man with hexagonal plaited hair. He wore a surgical mask and Canada Goose puffer jacket with brown fur around the hood.

The other two men were Asian, with one wearing a face mask with a shark tooth design, and the other wore a branded Adidas face mask.

Witnesses can report information to Sussex Police online or call 101 and quote incident 1129 of 30/10.

Alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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