Man injured in Halloween attack

The couple left their flat after hearing thuds on the wall

A West Sussex man is in hospital with serious head injuries after being attacked by a gang of teenagers on Halloween night.

Andy Matthew, 38, went outside to talk to a group of about 10 youths in Southbourne, who he believed had thrown eggs at his window.

Police said one of the teenagers hit Mr Matthew on the head with a weapon thought to be a scaffolding pole.

He is in a serious but stable condition at Southampton General Hospital.

Mr Matthew was taken to a specialist neurological unit after the attack in an alleyway off Park Road.

Thuds on wall

Girlfriend Donna Kewell said the couple went out of their flat after hearing thuds on the wall that night.

Describing the attack, she said: "He was in the middle and they were all swinging the scaffolding at him.

"He turned round and looked at me to see where I was, and one of them just connected straight on his head and it split about three and a half inches."

Adding that the pair had been intimidated by groups of youths on previous occasions, she said they had been attacked with eggs a few months previously.

Officers are appealing for witnesses to the incident which happened shortly after 2000 GMT on 31 October.