Thugs celebrate beating

When school governor Robert Clements saw three drunken yobs attacking a pensioner he did not hesitate to help.

But, for his trouble, the 54-year-old father of four was beaten senseless, suffering severe head and facial injuries and a broken arm. Sickeningly, the gang then celebrated their attack. Despite his ordeal, Mr Clements, an IT manager, says he has no regrets and would do the same thing again.

Mr Clements said: "I've never had a fight in my life but at the time it was the right thing to do. My parents brought me up with certain values and I acted on them. You can't just walk on by if you see someone is in trouble - you have to help them."

The thugs were given custodial sentences after the attack was captured on CCTV and played to the court. The images show them hugging each other and doing " highfives" as they beat Mr Clements round the head.

He had seen them try to smash a shop window with a shopping trolley but only intervened after they turned on an elderly man who had spoken to them about their behaviour. Mr Clements, from Bexleyheath, said: "They repeatedly kicked me in the head and stamped on my arm over and over again.

"The whole thing couldn't have taken more than 40 seconds but it felt like hours - they could have easily killed me." Covered in blood, he staggered 200 yards to his house leaving a trail of blood. He rang the bell and collapsed in front of his daughter, Annie, nine.

Mr Clements's wife Ruth said: "Annie ran into the lounge crying. She was shaking and said, 'It's not Daddy, it's a scary man at the door'. It was like something out of a horror film. Robert had a big gash on his face and blood was pooling in his ears.

"It looked like someone had taken a purple marker pen and drawn it round his eyes. His arm looked like a big white courgette, it was lumpy and bumpy and all misshapen."

Paramedics took Mr Clements to hospital where surgeons treated his wounds and inserted two metal plates into his arm. But they have warned him that he may never recover full use of the limb. Mr Clements says he can no longer leave the house by himself after dark and avoids big crowds.

He and his wife had to cancel a trip to Paris for their 11th wedding anniversary because of his injuries. He said: "I've become far more aware of my surroundings and the people around me. I won't go out at night and my friends pick me up and drive me everywhere.

"You think this is the kind of thing that happens to other people but it's all the more shocking when it happens to you. I don't feel safe in my own house anymore."

At Blackfriars Crown Court last week, plumber Adam Ellis, 20, electrician Jay Seghier, 18, and bricklayer Benito Rossi, also 18, all of Bexleyheath, were each sentenced to four years in a young offenders' institution after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent.

The judge has recommended Mr Clements for a public bravery award. He said: "I'm not a hero, I'm not brave, I did what I had to do. If it hadn't been me they would have attacked someone else. I'm just lucky that I survived and managed to pull through."