The hunt is on to find the brutal attacker who left an Oxford graduate too frightened to return to the city, writes Emma Henry.

Thomas Collier, 22, was left unable to speak for six days after the unprovoked assault.

He received such a severe beating as he waited for a taxi in Cornmarket Street that his jaw was broken in two places and his teeth needed metal braces.

Doctors also inserted steel plates in his jaw. He is still in constant pain and suffers numbness in parts of his lower face.

Now the former Wadham College history student says he may never return to the city he once loved, because he fears again becoming a victim of street violence in the city centre. The latest crime statistics from the Home Office show more than five assaults a day took place in Oxford in the year up to March.

But Oxford police area commander Supt David McWhirter said the Thames Valley Police region was the fifth safest in the UK and most violent crimes recorded in Oxford were young men fighting after pubs had closed. He said the average number of assaults was actually around 3.8 a day.

Supt McWhirter said: "The chances of a reasonable visitor to the city who is minding their own business being the victim of violence are minimal." Thomas, who was working in the city teaching English as a foreign language, said: "It was completely unprovoked. I was just waiting in the taxi queue with my friend when this group of three people came up and started accusing my friend of looking at them. Then suddenly one of the men started punching me.

"Oxford has a really aggressive side, particularly at night, and this has left me with really bad memories. I'd be very nervous about coming back to Oxford again I'd be scared something else would happen.

"I'm still in a lot of pain and on a restricted diet because I can't open my jaw very far." Thomas had hoped to go to Korea to teach English at the end of this month, but has had to postpone his travel plans. Police are still appealing for witnesses to the assault.

Oxford police area spokesman Duncan McGraw said: "This was a vicious and unprovoked attack, which left the victim quite badly injured and unable to speak for several days. The people who did this need to be caught and we ask anyone with any information to come forward."

Oxford police can be contacted on 01865 266333.