A TEENAGE girl has spoken out after she was left hospitalised following a brutal attack.

Libby Shepherd, 17, from Oswaldtwistle, was walking along Pickup Street in Accrington with a friend on their way to a dance class when she was set upon by a group of five youths on Friday evening.

The Blackburn College student was taken to A&E after the group pulled her to the ground by the hair and kicked and punched her.

She spent five days in Royal Blackburn Hospital and was left with severe muscle and tissue damage, bruising and scratches to her face. Her hair had been pulled out from the scalp.

Doctors feared she had fractured her spine, jaw and elbow but ruled that out following four days of x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and an MRI.

Libby has been left unable to walk on her own and is relying on pain medication and her mum Joanne and boyfriend Dec to help her.

The teen shared images of herself in a neck brace and from her hospital bed on Facebook in a bid to warn how dangerous jumping someone can be.

She said although the pictures do not really show the extent of the pain, she hopes ‘people get some sort of message that this is not okay - to put someone in a life-threatening position like this’.

She said: “Most injuries you could see were minor such as a bruise to the side of my face, lots of missing hair in the hairline of my head and a couple of scratches and bruises, however the damage is all internal.

“You don’t have to see it to feel it.

“It wasn’t late at night, it wasn’t dark, I wasn’t alone and the streets were busy.

Thanking her mum and boyfriend, she said: “I can not do simple things without them such as get up the stairs, pick things off the floor or get in the bath.

“I can’t even walk to the bathroom on my own.

“I am glad to be back in my own surroundings with the amazing help and support.”

She added she wanted to let people know how dangerous assaulting somebody is.

Police said enquiries are on-going.