The family of a man left in a coma after a Christmas day beating fear he could be permanently brain-damaged.

Father-of-four Chris Bowles was bludgeoned over the head and had his face slashed in an attack in Brighton.

A week later he is still in a coma in hospital. Doctors are now gradually bringing him out of sedation but have no idea what the long-term effects of the injuries will be.

His family today branded his attacker a "callous animal" and repeated their call for witnesses to come forward.

The attack happened on wasteland next to Anston House in Preston Road, Brighton, at about 6.30pm on Christmas day.

The site is home to a handful of people who have erected signs protesting against the destruction of trees by developers.

Mr Bowles, a self-employed car trimmer from Hollingdean, met people staying at the site in pubs in the London Road area.

He became friends with some of them and began visiting them at the camp.

On Christmas day his mother Jill Bowles, 61, dropped him off near the Circus Circus pub in Preston Road.

He had planned to meet his brother James for a pint.

But when he got there at about 4.30pm he realised he had turned up at the wrong time.

He decided to drop in to the Anston House camp rather than go home.

At about 6.30pm he was hit over the head with a blunt instrument and had his face and throat badly slashed.

And at 7.45pm his family, from Rottingdean, got a phonecall saying Chris had been injured in a fight and was in Royal Sussex County Hospital.

He was transferred to Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre for a five-hour emergency operation to remove a piece of bone from his brain.

Surgeons inserted a plate in his skull. He has had 40 stitches in his head and a further 20 in his face and neck.

Mr Bowles's son Dan, 20, was on his way to Sussex from his home in Devon today to be at his father's bedside.

And the victim's brothers Michael, 41, James, 26, and Steffan, 19, and the rest of the family are due to learn the prospects for Chris's recovery from doctors tonight.

Chris's stepfather, Gavin, 54, repeated the pleas made by Jill in The Argus on Saturday for members of the public to help the police investigation.

He said: "Everybody who knows Chris has phoned us with support and are deeply concerned.

"The police have been working extremely hard on the case.

"If there were any taxi drivers in the area who might have seen somebody running away, or somebody walking their dog who saw somebody, even if you think the information is useless, don't keep it to yourself.

"We are reliant on the public for their support to bring this callous animal to justice."

A man in his 30s was arrested and bailed after the attack.

Detectives have not revealed what they believe to be the motive for the vicious beating and no weapon has not been recovered.

Police are appealing for anyone with information to contact them on 0845 6070999 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.