THE sister of a teenager who was viciously assaulted has released pictures of her brother’s injuries in the hope of persuading witnesses to come forward.

Michael Bird, 18, a masonry student at York College, underwent a six-hour operation to repair a fractured skull, cracked eye socket and broken nose after he was attacked outside a nightclub in the city.

He is now in constant pain as a result of the operation, which left him with 52 staples across the top of his skull.

Surgeons in his home city of Manchester had to slice him from ear-to-ear and peel back his skin in order to repair his fractured skull which had left him with a depression in his forehead.

They also had to re-break his nose so it could be set properly and check that his eye was not permanently damaged.

Michael’s sister, Michelle, said she wanted the attackers to be caught and brought to justice.

She said: “I want them to suffer for what they have done. They want punishing.”

As reported in The Press at the time, the attack happened outside BPM nightclub in Rougier Street at 12.30am on Wednesday, December 17.

CCTV footage – which the police have not yet released – shows Michael waiting outside the club before being approached by five young men and set upon by one of them.

He remembers nothing about the incident and awoke in an ambulance.

But he will now have a reminder as he will have to live with a huge permanent scar across the top of his head.

Michael was discharged from hospital in Manchester, where he lives, yesterday.

He told The Press that he has been at York College for three years on a masonry course, which involves work placements and had always regarded the city as a safe place to be.

However, he said he would have second thoughts about having a night on the town again.

He said: “It’s just a disgrace, I don’t know what can have been going through his mind to do something like this.

“I’m not able to go back to work for between six and eight weeks so I’m going to lose a lot of money and experience.

“I have to go back to college in February, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to.

“This is my last year, so it’s important that I’m there.”

Of the attack, he said all he could remember was the night itself, but not the assault.

He said: “I remember being out and then being in an ambulance.”

CCTV shows that Michael had been talking to a young blonde woman just before the attack.

He was then found by paramedics at the taxi rank on the opposite side of the road to BPM.

Anyone who can help bring his attacker to justice should phone PC 1855 Matthew White at York police on 0845 6060247 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.