This is the sickening moment a British tourist was kicked in the head by a group of teenagers in a violent street robbery in Portugal.
Footage of the assault, filmed by the attackers themselves, shows the 18-year-old lying bloodied and unresponsive as members of the group kick him in the head before fleeing the scene in the resort town of Albufeira.
The group is said to have stolen the victim’s phone, worth around 600€.
The brutal attack took place in the early hours of July 17 and quickly spread across social media.
But it was separate CCTV footage that ultimately helped police track down the suspects.
The five attackers, all 17-year-old Portuguese nationals, were arrested by local police just days later.
According to local media, the group lives in nearby municipality of Loulé, around 30 minutes from where the attack happened, and is known to frequent Albufeira’s nightlife district.
The brutal attack took place in the early hours of July 17 and quickly spread across social media
The 18-year-old was lying bloodied and unresponsive as members of the group kick him in the head
He was left lying on the ground following the brutal attack in Albufeira on July 17
Pedro Pereira, Commander of the GNR Police in Albufeira, said: ‘Using CCTV, we were able to identify them and understand each of their actions during these crimes.’
He explained that the group had been under surveillance for several days and were suspected of carrying out other robberies in the area, although none as violent as this one.
He said the group moved through public areas, and as they passed people they identified as potential victims, they would strike, either all at once or with part of the group attacking the victim, before robbing them.
Despite the shocking nature of the attack, police say the teens do not show signs of being part of an organised gang and only one has a prior criminal record.
He said: ‘This was the only incident we have recorded evidence of them committing that showed such brutality and disregard for human life.
‘Other cases involved violence, but none were this severe.’
The victim was taken to hospital and later discharged the same day and has since returned to the UK.
The group remain custody whilst their wait for a sentence.
