The 17-year-old, who was spotted by a passer-by, was unconscious in the street bleeding from his ear after receiving blows to the head by an unknown attacker.

Terence Cassidy, (pictured in hospital, right) from Hollymount Park said he was at a friend's house party on Saturday night when he took a walk into town to see a couple of other mates. But the next thing he knew he woke up in pain at Altnagelvin Hospital.

Terence said: "I was at a party on Carlisle Road and was going to meet a couple of people after in town.

"I was walking through the town to meet me friends and go home and the next thing I remember is waking up in hospital. I can't remember anything.

"The police said I was found by someone who happened to be walking past. They found me lying behind the walls unconscious with blood pouring from me."

Terence spent four days at Altnagelvin Hospital before he was allowed to go home but says he still can't remember what happened that night.
He said: "I am always up the town and nothing like this has happened to me before, I wasn't even drunk. I had a couple of drinks I'll admit but I don't remember anyone around or anything at the time."
Terence's mum, Olive Quigley, said she was at home when she got a terrifying call from the hospital saying her son had been admitted with a suspected brain haemorrhage.

Olive said: "I nearly collapsed. It was awful. They said he had a haemorrhage to the brain and that he was bleeding through his ear. He is still bleeding now."

"He had a fractured skull and jaw and the doctor said he might lose his hearing in his left ear."

She added: "It is just ridiculous. For someone to leave him lying there. You can't go into town anymore without being attacked.The policeman said he would have died if someone hadn't found him. He would have bled to death.

"There were a lot of people around there at the time. The person that did this cannot get away with it. It is my son and he was left for dead in the street. I want something done about it."

It is understood police are checking CCTV cameras in the area for activity on the street at the time of the attack and are interviewing a number of witnesses.

Olive said: "We are still in shock. If it had been later in the night there might have been no one around."

Police have described the attacker as 5'9, in his early 20s with a slim build and dark hair. He was wearing a white tracksuit top and jeans and made off towards Waterloo Place.