A man remains in hospital after he was left with a badly broken jaw in an attack following a night out.

The 23-year-old was walking home with his girlfriend, 21, through Sheerness High Street at about 3.30am on Saturday when they were approached by a gang of about 10 men near the clock tower.

They reportedly assaulted the man, who is from Sheerness, and left him with multiple fractures of the jaw.

He was taken to Medway Maritime Hospital and is still being treated for his injuries in a West Sussex hospital.

Police have released a very grainy CCTV image of one of the suspects and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

After concerns were raised about the town’s CCTV cameras and an increase in these sort of incidents, the police and Swale council have moved to reassure residents.

Insp Tony Cannon said this was an unfortunate and isolated incident which his officers were taking very seriously.

“Sheerness is actually a very safe place to live and socialise,” he said.

“Officers patrol Sheppey on a 24 hours a day, seven days a week basis.

“When there is an incident, our borderless response system – which sees the nearest appropriate officer to an incident being deployed as quickly and safely as possible – is used.

“On this occasion, officers were deployed at 3.35am and were on the scene within nine minutes.

“We have a responsibility to Island residents to serve and protect them, just as we do the rest of the county, and their wellbeing and safety is a priority for us.”

A council spokesman said there were six CCTV cameras in the High Street, all in full working order and monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“These cameras and their operators were fully involved in helping police deal with the incident,” he said.

“Our operators always work closely with the police pointing them towards incidents, searching for offenders and collecting evidence that can be used in any potential future legal proceedings.”

Investigating officer Det Sgt Beverley Morrison described it as a cowardly and unprovoked attack and appealed for witnesses or anyone who might have seen a group of people walking in the High Street to come forward.

Call Det Sgt Morrison on 01634 792588, quoting reference XY/19053/14, or Kent Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

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