A man suffered two fractured eye sockets after he was attacked in Manchester city centre.
The 25-year-old man was assaulted by three men outside the Blackdog Ballroom on Church Street at about 3.10am on 6 June 2015.
Police have now issued three CCTV stills of men they want to speak to in connection with the attack.
The man, his partner and another couple they were socialising with left the club and tried to get into a black Hackney carriage. The man’s partner and the other woman got in, at which point one of the offenders – who was unknown to the two couples – jumped into the taxi and verbally abused them.
The victim and his friend managed to pull the man from the cab, at which point two other men ran over and all three then launched into a vicious assault upon the victim, punching him in the head as he fell to the floor.
When he eventually managed to get back to his feet, one of the offenders aimed a running punch at the man, which missed, but then threw another punch which knocked the 25-year-old man unconscious for a few seconds.
The three men then ran off. A fourth man is believed to have ran off with them although he was not involved in the attack.
The victim sustained two fractured eye sockets, stiches to a wound under his eye and a depressed cheekbone.
Police have now issued three CCTV stills of the men they wish to speak to in connection with the attack. It is possible they spoken with London accents.
Detective Constable Kelly Featherstone said: “All this man was trying to do was defend the honour of his partner and her friend from a stranger who jumped into their taxi and begun making crude remarks.
“As a result, he sustained very nasty injuries after he was savagely set upon by these three men. In some senses, the injuries could have been even more severe as we have all seen the tragic consequences of throwing just one punch.
“We will not tolerate this sort of violence in our city centre so I am appealing to the public to help us find these men.
“If you recognise any of the men in the CCTV images we have issued, then please contact us with any information you have.
“I would also urge the driver of the taxi to please contact us as they could also have crucial information that will help us identify these men.”
