A late Saturday night drink at a Court Street bar turned into a nightmare ordeal for a 56-year-old Pembroke man after a gang of thugs viscously attacked and beat him.

The man and his wife, who wish to remain anonymous, spoke to The Royal Gazette yesterday to share their shock and fear at the unprovoked attack.

The couple is calling on the community and the Government to tackle the issue of gang violence before it spirals out of control.

Around 1 a.m. the man had gone to the Spinning Wheel Night Club for a drink with his wife. The man said he was sitting at the bar when the gang, who appeared to be intoxicated and on drugs stood behind him, speaking loudly. The attack began after one of the men slapped him. ?I was sitting at the bar, these guys were shouting in my ears, there was a lot of commotion behind my back. I never spoke to them at all, only when they slapped me did I ask them what they were doing,? he said.

?I got up to find out why he did this, his friend picked up a stool and went across my head with it. I turned around to find out why he did that and another guy came at me with another stool, I found myself on the floor, they were kicking me everywhere,? he said.

He has four stitches in one eye and hopes to be able to go back to work later this week.

Police are currently looking for the suspects who are described as brown skinned males, approximately six feet, two inches tall and wearing baggy clothing.

?When they saw that I wouldn?t stay down they left,? the man said.

The man?s wife said she got out of the way and managed to phone for help as the group of men battered and beat her husband.

She also said she exchanged some heated words with the bartender and some patrons who she said did not attempt to stop the gang. ?There was blood everywhere on the floor and on his clothing,? she said. ?On the way to the hospital I was very nervous, I thought he was going to die and had been paralysed ? I thought the worse.?

The woman said she will not stop going out socially, but she would not patronise Court Street bars until they were cleaned up.

She also called on the community to come to terms with ongoing issues of safety and violence after several incidents over the last week have involved gangs of men beating and attacking individuals.

?I?m not going to let them stop me from going out but I won?t patronise court street anymore, they say they want to clean up this area and this is what?s happening. We?ve come to a point where something has to be done, these young people are out of control, they were only about 23 and 24 years old ? its shocking to see them behaving like that,? the woman added. ?They?re a threat to people?s safety.?