A teenager was walking in north Liverpool when an incident with a gang resulted in shocking knife wounds across his body.
The 18-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, was allegedly walking in the city last week when the attack happened.
Youth worker Alan Walsh from Old Swan spoke to the ECHO after the teenager said he was happy to share a photo of the injuries he sustained.
READ MORE: White stag killed after being cornered by police
The victim didn't want to report the matter to Merseyside Police, but was happy for Alan to share to spread awareness.
Alan, 50, said: "He was walking around north Liverpool and he saw a group of lads.
"A few words were exchanged and one of them pulled a blade on him.
"I said did you know anyone was after you and he said no. He said this is just what's going on in the streets."
A shocking and graphic photo shows the extent of the wounds the teenager suffered during the attack.
One deep cut which starts between his shoulder and neck travels all the way down his chest.
Several more slice marks can clearly be seen across his rib cage and abdomen. The teenager's t-shirt pulled up around his neck also appears to be stained with blood.
Alan, who has been a youth worker for 25-years, said: "They weren't fighting, they were just using the knife on him. And because nobody was holding on to him he had the opportunity and just ran.
Warning - graphic image of knife attack further down in story
"His dad's in shock. He said every time he's going out the house, he feels like something is going to happen.
"And he's not a bad kid, he hangs around parks and plays footy, he's just a normal young lad"
Alan is a youth worker who specialises in violence reduction in young people.
In 2007, he helped open a boxing club in Anfield to prevent young people from becoming involved in gang violence.
He also works as part of the 'Real men don't carry knives' education programme.
Alan added: "I hate talking about knife crime because nine times out of 10 you're talking about it too late. It's the youth violence bit we need to get a grip of first.
"It's a battle we've all got to be involved in. It's not just a youth workers or police battle with this, it's the families.
"Be wary of who your son and daughter's going or who they're going around with. It's the only way we're going to beat it.
"I've seen young people die, it's not the most pleasant of jobs sometimes. But at the end of the day, most of these kids have got a story behind them."
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
