A boy who was punched in the ear so hard it bled, said the attack had made him fearful of leaving his house.

The 17-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being attacked again, said the unprovoked incident had “knocked his confidence”.

The youth, who lives near Burwell Drive, Witney, was with a 16-year-old friend when the pair got “jumped” near the Waitrose supermarket, in the Woolgate Centre, at about 11pm on Sunday, February 15.

The victim said: “We heard them shout ‘all right mate’.

“I turned around and was punched in the ear twice. I went off balance and fell to the floor. They then started kicking me.

“They hit my friend but he ran off hoping they would follow so they would leave me alone. But they didn’t.”

Police are investigatng and appealed for witnesses.

The friends, who had been to the nearby Best Kebabs Witney to get some food, said they were “minding their own business” when they noticed a group of men ordering a drink.

Minutes later the pair were attacked.

The 17-year-old was taken to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital where he was given a CT scan and treated for concussion and shock.

He said: “I suffered loss of vision and my hearing was affected.

“It is not back to normal and things don’t taste the same.

“Since this happened I don’t want to go out any more.

“It was the first time I had been out in a long time.”

An employee at the kebab van contacted the town’s CCTV operators after he saw the men running after the youngsters. The CCTV operators contacted police.

Pc Nigel Lomas said: “This is an unprovoked assault and I appeal for anyone with any information to get in touch.

“Luckily the man was not badly injured, but has been left deeply shaken and we are working hard to catch whoever is responsible.”

Police described the attacker as white, aged about 25, 6ft tall, with short light brown hair.

He was wearing a grey Nike tracksuit and was with five men of Asian appearance.

Anyone with any information about the assault should contact police on 0845 8505505 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.