A 22-YEAR-old man has the lost an eye following a vicious attack outside an Oldham nightclub as we reveal yet another sickening act of violence to have taken place in the town centre.

It is understood a gang of suspects was identified on CCTV following the attack on Sam Higgins outside Vibez924 in Yorkshire Street on February 4, but police now say there is insufficient evidence to press charges.

The attack has ruined the life of Higgins, who has a three-year-old daughter.

He has lost his job as a stainless steel fabricator because it is too dangerous for him to do the job with only one eye and has had to move back to his mother's home in Pretoria Road after losing the flat he was living in.

“Me and three of my friends were out celebrating one of our birthdays,” said Sam. “We left the club at 2am and, although one of us had had words with one of a group of Asian men, there was no sign of any trouble.

“Before we could get a taxi, someone approached me from behind and wrapped a trouser belt round me head, with the buckle going into my eye.

“It cut into the top of my eyeball splitting it open and before I knew blood was spurting out everywhere.

“My friends got me into a taxi and took me to hospital where I underwent an operation to try to save my sight, but the damage was too bad. I now have glass eye.”

Sam said police investigating the incident identified a group of three people waving a trouser belt in the air outside the club, but none of them will say who carried out the attack.

“The police say there is not enough evidence to charge anyone,” he said. “So the person who has ruined my life has got away with it.

“I don’t normally go out in Oldham, and I wish I hadn’t then.”

The Oldham Times has contacted the police for comment.

The attack is one of numerous similar incidents to have taken place in recent months.

In June, the father 21-year-old Thomas Hickey offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of a gang who stabbed him outside the Liquid and Envy night club in Retiro Street.

Thomas also suffered a shattered leg after vaulting railings near the club in a bid to escape his attackers. He was a keen amateur footballer, but he will never play again.

And as reported in The Oldham Times last week two cricketers were victims of a brutal attack as they left the club in the early hours of Friday, July 27.

The Shaw players, both South Africans, were attacked as they left Liquid and Envy. One was beaten unconscious and the other needed surgery.

Detective Constable Victoria Tait of GMP’s Oldham borough police said of the Sam Higgins attack: “Since this horrific incident, detectives have been meticulously working on this investigation to establish the full circumstances of what happened so that we can seek justice for the victim.

“We have analysed hours of CCTV, spoken to witnesses, including the victims friends, and fully investigated all lines of enquiry. Despite this, there is not sufficient evidence to progress this investigation further at this time. If new evidence comes to light then this position will be reviewed.

“I would continue to appeal to anyone with information about this incident, no matter how small or insignificant, to please get in touch with police.”