by SIMON ROGERSON

A man is lying in hospital waiting to discover if he will be scarred for life after a thug attacked him with a piece of wood with nails running through it.

The horrific attack took place in the car park of the Middlesex and Herts Nightclub, Old Redding, Harrow Weald, at 3am on Saturday morning, as the 31-year-old man was leaving the club.

Earlier that night, he had been involved in a dispute which ended with several men being thrown out of the club by bouncers.

Police believe these troublemakers waited outside for several hours until the victim and a friend left the club at closing time.

"When he had reached the end of the covered path leading from the club to the car park, he was attacked by a suspect armed with a piece of wood," police spokesman Det Sgt Peter Ryman said.

"The wood had nails sticking out of it. It was used to hit the man repeatedly about his head. When his friend tried to intervene he too was attacked, although his injuries were not as severe. There was a substantial amount of blood in the car park."

The attacker and his friends casually remained at the scene while an ambulance was called to the nightclub.

Paramedics tipped off police but no arrests were made despite a thorough search by officers with dogs.

The man was initially taken to Northwick Park Hospital but later transferred to Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, where his wounds could be assessed by plastic surgeons.

According to witnesses, the attacker was a white man in his early 30s, about 5ft9in tall with short black hair. He was accompanied by two other men, in their mid 30s.

Anyone with information can contact Harrow CID on 0181 733 3434.

For information on crime prevention, contact Harrow Voicemail on 0181 284 9197.

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