A shore angler spent Saturday night in hospital after he was attacked by a gang of youths on Dawlish seafront.
The 49-year-old man from Dawlish was sea fishing with friends on Saturday afternoon when the group were approached by four youths. The gang – which comprised two boys and two girls – asked the group of fishermen to hand over beer and cigarettes.
When they refused, the youths began to hurl stones at them.
The fisherman approached the youths in an effort to scare them away and as he returned to his seat, was punched in the face by the oldest of the gang, a boy of around 16 years of age. The gang then dispersed.
However, an hour later, as the victim was walking away from the seafront along the footpath near Red Rock, the gang appeared again and the man was pushed to the floor.
He was then kicked several times in the body and head in an attack led by the teenage boy who had earlier assaulted him.
The boy is described as around 5ft 8ins, of stocky build, with a shaved head. He was wearing a light blue shirt and jeans. He was accompanied by another boy, about 14-years-old with black hair, a girl of about the same age with brown hair and a girl believed to be about 11-years-old with long, blonde hair.
Following the attack and having called the police from a payphone, the victim attended
Doctors kept him in overnight for fear that he may have sustained concussion in the attack.
Police are now appealing for witnesses to the attack, who were in the area of Dawlish seafront between
