A teenager is recovering after suffering injuries on a night out in what is thought to be a vicious attack.

The mum of 17-year-old Tony Foster - who suffered a serious eye injury during his night out - is now appealing for the truth over what happened to her son.

Tony, who lost his brother in a car crash, remembers little of the assault but is keen to find his attacker.

His mother, Sandra Bartholomew, of Crown Avenue, Pitsea, said: "On Saturday night my son was out and he was beaten unconscious and I had to pick him up from accident and emergency.

"He is in a bad way and he has got stitches inside his mouth."

Tony and his mum believe that the attack took place inside the Kings Holiday Club on Canvey around 1.30am on Sunday, but Tony cannot remember the incident well and police have visited the club for CCTV footage.

Mrs Bartholomew said: "I am trying to appeal to any witnesses. He was knocked to the floor unconscious and whoever it was, we feel may have carried on hitting him.

"He is in a very bad way and he turned up at Basildon Hospital. His face is just totally busted up and his eyes were closed.

"Whoever has done it has done a serious assault. We just want to find out what happened that night."

Tony remembers very little about the incident but said: "I was hit. I went down and as I went down, I don't remember any more. I just remember people standing in front of me and I remember going unconscious."

A spokeswoman for Essex Police said that in view of the serious injury to Tony's eye, the incident was being treated as actual bodily harm.

She said: "The club was visited yesterday and CCTV video obtained and an officer visited the aggrieved yesterday and got a statement."

Jeff King, a director of the Kings Club, said that he was aware that club security had been alerted to an incident on Saturday night when a boy had a cut over his eye.

He said: "He didn't know and no-one else knew what happened, by all accounts. I have spoken to my manager and for all we know he might have fallen over.

"If he was attacked then it will be on our CCTV - and then these people will be banned for life."

Battered - Tony Foster, who was attacked on Canvey

Picture: NICK ANSELL

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