These shocking photos are of Daniel Rees from Pontypridd, whose his face was beaten to a bloody pulp during a night out in Cardiff earlier this week.
The 24-year-old mechanic was reportedly left lying on the pavement with a fractured eye socket, split eyelid and a suspected broken nose after he and his girlfriend left the Popworld nightclub on Cardiff's St Mary Street in the early hours of Tuesday, December 14.
His partner Chelsea Pryce, with whose work's Christmas outing Daniel had tagged along, described how he later admitted to her that he thought he was going to die as punch after punch rained down on his face.
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"We left the venue at about 2.30am in the morning but, when we got outside, this bloke just came from nowhere and punched Dan in the face," said Chelsea, a 21-year-old store manager from Caerphilly.
Chelsea added she barely had time to scream before the assailant, along with another man who held Daniel down, continued his attack.
"I could hear him calling my name but I couldn't get to him," she said.
"And when the police finally came it was Dan they handcuffed and put in the back of the van, despite the fact he was completely covered in blood and clearly badly injured.
"Eventually though they removed the handcuffs and blue lighted us to the nearby University Hospital of Wales.
"There we had to wait for 14 hours in A&E, during which time Dan told me he thought he was going to die as he was lying there and the blows kept coming.
"Honestly, I'll never get the image of his bloodied, swollen face out of my mind for a long as I live.
She added that Daniel can still barely see properly as a result of his injuries, for which he's awaiting an operation this weekend.
South Wales Police said it is investigating an incident which took place in St Mary Street during the early hours of Tuesday, December 14.
"From initial CCTV enquiries, it appears that two men were assaulted at around 2.30am and one of them was taken to hospital," said a spokesperson.
"There have been no charges and enquiries are on-going.
"Anyone with information is asked to contact South Wales Police quoting occurrence number 2100434621, or visit the website here.
"They can also phone 101, send us a private message on Facebook/Twitter or email: SWP101@south-wales.police.uk."
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