THE victim of a bloody and brutal bashing wants public help to catch the thugs who left him needing a metal plate near his eye socket.
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Anthony Demase, 51, was visiting Albury with mates to watch the Ovens and Murray grand final in September when he was attacked.
With police failing to nab the assailants, Mr Demase hopes telling his story to The Border Mail will uncover those who left him with a fractured left eye socket, broken nose and deep cuts to his head and face.
He had been walking back to his accommodation at Quest in Kiewa Street with a friend when they were set upon about 12.30am Sunday, September 18.
“I can remember being hit from all sides and just getting pummeled,” Mr Demase said.
“I felt like there must have been a knee in there somewhere because when the connection to my eye happened it was really hard.”
The Mornington Peninsula father-of-three said the group involved in the attack consisted of four or five men and a woman who were formally dressed, seemingly having been to a wedding.
Mr Demase said a dispute involving one of the men and the woman blew up as they neared, but it was not until they were 10 to 20 metres past them the attack occurred.
He said his friend was initially set on before the initial attacker “bounced off him”.
“The three of us looked at each other to see what was going to happen and the next minute I knew I’m being hit from behind and kicked and dragged by the other guys,” Mr Demase said.
After pleading for the group to stop, a bedraggled Mr Demase, who had a torn shirt and blood flowing from below his eye and nose, went to Quest before being taken to Albury hospital.
He has since been told he will need a plate behind his left eye socket which has sunken by three millimetres.
The accountant said he was forced to take two weeks leave and still suffered from double vision in the periphery of his left eye.
“I am really keen to have them come to justice, these guys could be doing this to others,” Mr Demase said.
His wife Liz added: “They can’t think they can do something like that and get away with it.”
Albury crime manager Inspector David Cottee confirmed nobody responsible for the bashing had been identified.
He said the fact Mr Demase was a visitor to the area and did not know his attackers made it a harder case to solve than other assault matters.
Inspector Cottee said of the eye damage that “that particular type of injury is not uncommon with physical assaults”.
“Punching someone in the head can have serious consequences,” he said.
Mr Demase believes his attackers were aged in their mid to late 20s and were wearing suits, possibly with flowers in the lapels.
