A teenage skateboarder was held down by a dozen youths who punched and kicked him.

The gang tried and failed to pull the 16-year-old’s skateboard from him during the attack at 8.15pm on Monday. The victim, who had been skateboarding along Three Bridges Road, Crawley when he was attacked, suffered a cut to his stomach.

He ran off in the direction of Crawley College.

The youths, described as teenagers, were standing at the bus stop opposite the playing fields before they assaulted him. One is thought to be approximately 6'4 tall and wore a distinctive black and white bandana around the lower part of his face.

The rest of the group were wearing hooded jackets with their hoods up and faces concealed.

Police are appealing to any witnesses who might have seen this group of youths at the bus stop. They would particularly like to hear from two men, possibly in their 40s or 50s, who walked down the road at the time of the incident and warned a female dog walker not to go down the street.

Anyone with information should contact police on 0845 60 70 999, quoting serial 1632 of 11 October.