A TRANENT man fears he might never be able to see out of his left eye again after he was assaulted by a group of five people outside a pub on Tranent High Street.

Liam Browne, 25, is originally from Ireland but has lived in Tranent for 13 years.

The father of two visited Whispers Lounge Bar on Tranent High Street on Saturday evening but said he was attacked by a group of five individuals while walking home at about 1am on Sunday morning.

Liam told the Courier: “I had been out at a pub on my own and I may have been under the influence when it happened.

“I don’t remember all of it, I may have said the wrong thing, but it was all over in a matter of seconds.

"They kicked me repeatedly to the face and I was rendered unconscious."

Liam, who works as a head pizza chef in Edinburgh, said that he recalled two women and three men attacking him.

He was rushed to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh after the incident, where his eye had to be operated on.

He has since received a second operation, with a third expected next week.

He said that doctors told him he might never regain his sight in his left eye.

He said: “I think it is about a 90 per cent chance I won’t ever be able to see out of my eye again.

"The doctors did what they could to drain as much of the fluid as possible but it was badly damaged.

“I am due to get another operation next week to see if it can be fully fixed.

“I am just in a lot of pain at the moment. I am off work, which is not good. I love my job, it is one of the things I love most, so to not be there is hard.”

Liam posted on Facebook about his ordeal and has received many comments from concerned friends and family.

He said: “I don’t use Facebook a lot and I wasn’t looking for any sympathy or to cause any retaliation to those who did it.

“I am a nice guy. I have kids and I just want whoever did it to be caught.

“I saw some of the comments on the post. It may be better if I could read them properly but I can’t because of my eye. But it is nice to see people supporting me.”

Police were contacted following the incident and Liam said that he was hopeful the culprits would be caught.

He said: “Police have told me there is a lot of CCTV in the area and that they have a good idea of who did it.

“I think I should be compensated. I could lose the vision in my eye, something I will never get back.

“I’d hope the culprits are caught and dealt with appropriately. But in the end, it may never bring back my sight.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 1.10am on Sunday, April 30, officers received a report of an assault on High Street, Tranent.

“A 25-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment.

“Enquiries are ongoing.”