A MAN left permanently disabled by an horrific, unprovoked attack says thugs have forced him out of Blackburn.

And George Makinson, 54, warned that more people will leave town unless something is done about increasing violence.

George suffered horrendous head injuries when he was pounced on by three teenagers as he walked through Queen's Park last July.

The thugs, including one who broke the nose of Mr Makinson's handicapped foster son David, were sentenced to a total of 23 months in a young offenders' institution when they appeared at Burnley Crown Court on Monday.

Now George has revealed that his family felt forced to pack up and leave Blackburn for a new life in Devon after the attack.

And he hit out at the "lenient" sentence handed down to the culprits, adding: "They will be out in three or four months, whereas I will be suffering for life."

George was left bleeding on the ground with a broken cheekbone after being attacked as he walked with his wife Ann and three foster children. He has been told that he will suffer from double vision for the rest of his life and has difficulty breathing through his nose.

But it is the mental scars which have had the most effect on the family's life.

George said: "There was no way we could stay in Blackburn after what happened.

"Everything is so oppressive there. I couldn't walk around town without thinking that everyone was looking at me.

"I was wary of young people and shuddered every time I saw a gang of them.

"I tried going into Queen's Park a couple of times after the attack but I felt unsafe. It is a shame because it is a lovely park and I lived in a nice area.

"But violence is driving people out of Blackburn and I am the proof."

The three youths were sentenced on George's birthday but he didn't look on it as much of a present.

He added: "Only the other day, the whole attack came back to me when I was in a park down here and I saw two young men walking towards me.

"I didn't know what to do and in the end they just walked past me. But that's just the way things are and I have just got to live with it.

"Luckily my foster son and the rest of my family seem to be coping all right."

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