A dad was beaten and left for dead in a sickening attack after simply asking a group for directions.
Shaun Mollon, 49, was the victim of an unprovoked attack as he was knocked unconcious and repeatedly hit while on the ground.
The dad-of-two has since undergone facial reconstruction surgery as a result of the horrifying assault but is struggling with flashbacks and won't leave the house.
Shaun was out in Burton, Staffordshire, for work and had gone out for dinner and drinks with colleagues before the night went terribly wrong.
"He is absolutely broken and has not come out of his room for a week. It's destroyed our lives. He is frightened of any little noise and doesn't want anyone touching him," wife Julianne told StaffordshireLive.
"He is not the person he was. He's scared all the time and he keeps having flashbacks as stuff keeps coming back to him and he keeps reliving that initial impact. It's horrific.
"It's been really difficult for all of us. My daughter has been so upset as he doesn't look like daddy or behave like him. He's a broken man."
After finishing drinks with his colleagues, Shaun decided to call it a night and head back to his Premier Inn hotel as he had work the next day.
However, he got lost after taking a wrong turn and spotted a group of people in a car park just off High Street so asked them for directions.
But he was "completely blindsided" as he was approached from behind, punched to the side of his face and knocked unconcious, his heartbroken wife Julianne explained.
The group, made up of youths believed to be in their 20s and young girls, left him for dead and drove off in a car.
Shaun, who had nothing stolen during the attack, then regained conciousness and managed to get back to his colleagues who quickly rushed him to hospital.
He has been left with horrendous and painful injuries including a fractured jaw, a shattered eye socket and cheek bone.
He had surgery on Thursday to reconstruct his face with metal plates and pins back in his home city of York. He was initially taken to Queen's Hospital in Burton before being moved to Derby.
He was allowed home to York as the surgery could not be done until the swelling had gone done.
He is unable to eat or drink due to the pain but, aside from the physical injuries, it has taken a huge toll on his mental health, his wife said.
Julianne was told what had happened after getting a call from her husband at 3am, but she could hardly understand him because of his broken jaw.
"I just got up and I was sick and as soon as I was able to I got a friend to take me to Derby as I wasn't fit to drive," she added.
"He is lucky to be alive. It's such a cruel and callous thing to do and just run away. He could have been dead. He was on his own and had a few pints, he was vulnerable. I just hope that someone who witnessed it has a conscience and thinks this isn't right."
Staffordshire Police have issued an appeal for anyone who may have any information about the assault to come forward.
Any potential witnesses or anyone with any information is being urged to message Staffordshire Police on Facebook or Twitter, quoting incident number 41 of September 23.
Other ways people can contact the police is by calling 101. Alternatively, you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
