A man was ambushed by three men and beaten so badly he was plunged into a coma.

Andy Thorne was walking towards the back of a van in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire when a group of men rushed him.

CCTV footage of the attack shows a man in a blue hoody beating him repeatedly with a crowbar before bundling the 42-year-old into the back of the vehicle, Grimsby Live reported.

Two other men wearing rain jackets with their hoods up and faces partially obscured join the attack, first attempting to restrain the man on the floor of the van before dragging him onto the street.

Andy Thorne says he wants his attackers brought to justice

At the end of the brief but savage attack he was dumped down an alleyway.

For four days the 42-year-old was deep in a coma, awaking to find several scars on his head and blindness in his right eye.

More than a year on from the April 2018 attack he continues to suffer from depression and flashback.

In an emotional appeal, he said: "At the end of the day, I just want justice for what they did to me.

The 42-year-old was left with scars on his forehead

"Those three men are still out there walking the streets. If they could do that to me, in broad daylight, who knows what they're capable of doing at night.

"I obviously just want to get on with my life, get back to work and be myself - live the life that I live. But it's difficult to do that when I have no closure on the situation.

"I have no idea who these men were or why they did it."

The first man approaches Andy from the side

The self-employed, award winning joiner was determined to work through his injuries and get back to work at Premier Stove Installations Limited as quickly as possible.

Despite receiving numerous blows to the head, Andy has vivid memories of most the attack.

"I'd say I remember 70 per cent of the events," he continued.

The attackers hood falls down as the blows fly in

"I remember being in my van and just being ambushed, I was hit with what looked like the end of a crowbar and I briefly passed out before coming around rather quickly.

"The men continued to hit me and I tried to fight back, but I think I must have been out of it.

"As soon as I woke up, I remembered it all so clearly. The doctors were amazed that I was awake and that I was functioning as normal.

They attempt to hold Andy down before dragging him out of the van

"In that sense I am definitely lucky, as they thought I'd be in a wheelchair at the very least.

"But losing my eyesight was huge to me, that put me down."

After leaving him badly beaten the three men broke into his home and stole several items.

A year and a two months after the attack Andy is still struggling with its emotional fallout.

The three men police want to speak to regarding the attack

He added: "I had no idea what anxiety and depression was before this. When people had spoken to me about it before, I would just say something like 'take a few days off work and relax' - I now realise it's so much more than that.

"I have been on medication because of what happened in April last year and while I'm back at work and feeling good, it has obviously had that lasting effect on me.

"Through times like this, you realise who your real friends are. Whilst you might have 500 friends on Facebook , or 100 contacts in your phone, you soon realise who is really looking out for you - it's a small good thing to come out of this.

"I know and appreciate the people who have supported me through it all."

Four men, aged 46, 31, 33 and 62, have been arrested during the investigation and have been released under investigation. 

Two other men arrested in connection with the incident were released without charge.  

To date, nobody has been charged.

Andy has worked hard to get back to work following the attack

Detective Inspector Kerry Bull, leading the Humberside Police Investigation, called the incident a "particularly nasty assault".

"We have already made six arrests and it remains very much an active investigation," he said.

"Through our enquiries so far, we believe that those involved in the incident may have links to both the Lincoln area and potentially to Devon and Cornwall and we're hopeful that by releasing the CCTV of the attack, we may reach people who have not previously seen our appeals. 

"Someone out there knows who these men are and I want to appeal for those people who do to get in touch."

Anyone who recognises the men in the CCTV or who has information about the incident is asked to contact Humberside Police on 101, quoting incident number 16/43406/18. 

Information can also be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.