A HOLIDAYMAKER attacked by robbers during a trip to France has spoken about the moment he thought he was going to die.

Brian Place, 57, was leaving a hotel restaurant on the outskirts of Paris with his wife and brother-in-law when they were viciously kicked and beaten up by three men.

Brian suffered a broken nose and blurred vision, his wife Rosaleen, 51, sustained a broken coccyx, a black eye and severe bruising.

Rosaleen's brother Terry Grego had to spend two days in hospital after suffering a broken rib. He also needed stitches in a head wound.

The travellers, all from the Mill Hill area of Blackburn, continued their journey to the Languedoc region of southern France after vowing not to let the robbers spoil their holiday.

But Brian has admitted: "We all thought we were going to die." Speaking on the telephone from their holiday village, he added: "I have been in the forces and know how to handle myself but I have never been hit as hard.

"The terrible thing was that I could hear my wife being attacked and calling out my name but I could do nothing to help her."

The three were staying at a hotel in Mellun when the robbers struck as they were leaving a nearby restaurant just after 10pm.

Brian said: "We got about 30 yards from the restaurant when we saw three men walking towards us on the other side of the road, acting drunk.

"One of them was carrying a bottle. After they walked past us one of them called out a signal.

"The next thing I knew I was on the deck and all hell broke loose."

The robbers stole Rosaleen's handbag containing £530 in French currency as well as credit cards and English money.

Three alleged culprits were arrested within 30 minutes of the attack and police recovered the belongings.

Three men are due to stand trial for the robbery on October 17.

But the victims were horrified to discover the men had been released on bail shortly after the attack.

Brian added: "We were landed with a £240 bill for our hospital treatment and then they told us the men they had arrested had been let out. "We had to stay in the area because Terry was still in hospital and were forced to move to another hotel.

"We are rested up a little now, but my wife is still suffering from panic attacks as well as from her injuries."

Brian paid tribute to the people in the area where they are staying for their help and concern.

But he said an appeal to the British Embassy for help had so far proved fruitless.

He said: "We are trying to get an English-speaking lawyer to represent us at court so we can try and get some compensation, but when the Embassy eventually sent us a list of names they were for the wrong area."

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