A TEENAGER was dragged from his car and beaten unconscious by a gang of up to ten men as he went to meet his girlfriend after her school prom.

Sean Hodgson was so badly beaten in the unprovoked attack that his parents did not initially recognise him.

The 19-year-old was placed on a hospital ventilator suffering from fractured eye sockets, a fractured cheekbone, suspected fractured jaw and bruising.

He was heading to a party in Lambton Avenue, in the Delves Lane area of Consett, and had stopped his blue Citroen Saxo at a junction 100 yards away when he was attacked.

He said: “I remember getting out of the car and being hit from behind and put on the floor. The next thing I knew was when I woke in hospital.

“It is just devastating to think that someone could do this to me for no reason.”

The incident happened at about 12.45am on Friday as Mr Hodgson went to meet his 16-year-old girlfriend at a house party organised to follow Moorside Community Technical College’s school prom at the nearby Knitsley Mill pub.

The alarm was raised after a neighbour found the teenager collapsed in the street.

He was taken to hospital in Durham for treatment and has since been allowed to return to the family’s farm in Knitsley.

His mother, Helen Hodgson, said most of the blows appeared to have been directed at his son’s head and face.

She said: “It was horrendous.

When we got to the hospital, we could not recognise our own son.”

Detective Constable Ian Waslin said: “There is no apparent reason for this attack, but someone must have seen it and know about it.

“The savagery of the attack could have left him a lot more seriously hurt.

“The people responsible must be caught and it is up to every right-thinking person to help the police.”

Anyone with information is asked to call 0345-60- 60-365 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.