A man was left with "life-changing scars" after being slashed in a brutal nightclub attack.
Thomas Corder, was left badly hurt in hospital after the incident which took place shortly after 1am on Sunday morning December 12.
The 28-year-old was with a friend in the venue, however they lost each other towards the end of the night before Thomas got into ‘an altercation’ with another man but ‘can’t remember’ what it was about.
Corder had his face slashed open with what he thought was a bottle but given how long and straight his gash is, the surgeon who treated him suggested it looked like a knife wound.
Thomas was also told by paramedics that if the gash had extended just two inches lower then the damage could have been life-threatening.
Thomas had attended a concert at the Invisible Wind Factory venue on Regent Street, in Liverpool before the attack took place.
Thomas told Liverpool Echo : “I think we might have been arguing over me bumping into him or something but I honestly can’t remember, the shock has just blocked it all.
“I know there was no physical altercation but I just remember thinking I’d been glassed and I could feel my ear flopping around.”
Thomas’s brother, James Croston, told the Echo: “During the altercation he felt something and thought he’d been bottled so he ended up going outside and a girl started screaming at him saying ‘your face has been slashed’.”
It wasn’t until around half an hour later though while waiting for an ambulance that Thomas saw the extent of the damage to his face.
Thomas, who is originally from Waterloo, said: “Someone showed me a picture about half an hour after it happened and was I was like oh my god. My cartilage was hanging out, it was horrible. “
Following the incident, Thomas was taken to the Royal Liverpool Hospital before being transferred to Aintree Hospital where he was treated for the “massive slash” that extended from his earlobe, right down his jawline to his chin.
Thomas, who lives in Ormskirk, said a surgeon told him it “looks like the slash was caused by a knife”.
He said: “The surgeon said it looks like a knife because of how straight the line is.
“He said if it had been jagged then it could have been something else but this definitely looks like it was done by a knife because its one long clean cut.”
“The paramedics told me that if it was just two inches lower it would have got my neck and probably my arteries.
“That’s the scary thing, if it was just two inches lower I’d be dead.”
Thomas said the venue carried out a “vigorous” search on all attendants of last night’s Gorgon City concert.
Now, Thomas’s brother is urging for an appeal to be made on the person who did this to his ‘loving’ brother.
James, 33, said: “Thomas is a nice, fun-loving lad. He loves LFC, he loves to play rugby and football, he loves to have a laugh - he doesn’t go out looking for trouble.
“Yes he will stand his ground and he knows how to handle himself but he went out with the intention of having a good night last night.
“He did not go out with a knife with him - it doesn’t matter what happened or even if he started the altercation, that’s not the point, the point is someone has left him with life changing injuries on his face for life that is never going to be fixed.
“This will affect everything for him in the future - his career, mental health, everything.
“He could have been killed and I’m not going to let it go until we find who is responsible for this.”
Merseyside Police confirmed they are investigating after they received reports a man was assaulted inside the Invisible Wind Factory in the early hours of Sunday, December 12.
A spokesperson said: “Officers were contacted at around 1.35am to reports the man had been slashed across the face inside the Invisible Wind Factory on Regent Road by another male.
“The other male is believed to have left the nightclub a short time after the assault.
“He is described as being 20-25 years of age, around 5ft 10in tall with short dark hair and wearing a black polo shirt, dark coloured jeans and a dark coloured jacket.”
An investigation is underway and CCTV and witness enquiries are in the process of being carried out.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information which could assist the investigation is asked to contact Merseyside Police by DM On their Twitter @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 quoting 21000858161.
Invisible Wind Factory has been approached for comment.
