A man who was robbed and beaten by a group of thugs was helped by a good Samaritan taxi driver.

The 22-year-old victim was targeted on John William Street in Huddersfield town centre in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Police said he broke two back teeth and suffered cuts and bruises after the thugs beat him and made off with his phone.

Now officers are keen to trace a taxi driver who came to his aid and made sure he got home safely.

The incident happened between 2am and 3am on Sunday, when the man was attacked by a group of four or five men who pushed him to the ground.

The thugs punched the victim before stealing his Samsung mobile phone and fleeing.

Det Con Nicole Rubio-Senior, of Kirklees CID, said: “This was a terrifying and unprovoked attack and we are appealing for witnesses to come forward to assist with our investigation.

“In particular, there was a taxi driver who came to the aid of the victim following the incident and made sure he got back home safely.

“It is believed he had a white London cab-style taxi which is based outside the McDonald’s taxi rank on John William Street.”

Anyone with information should contact Det Con Rubio-Senior or Kirklees CID via 101 quoting crime reference 13170001424.

In unrelated investigations, police would like to speak to the people pictured in the image gallery below. The people pictured in the images may be witnesses as well as suspects. If you recognise anyone, contact police on 101 quoting the reference number on the image caption.