Victim: Law student Michael Egan wears a stab-proof vest after being subjected to two vicious attacks

A law student who was the victim of two vicious assaults feels so unsafe he walks the streets wearing a stab-proof vest.

Michael Egan was attacked twice in the space of six months by who he believes to be the same group of thugs - including a teenage girl.

The 21-year-old suffered a fractured skull, temporary blindness and two burst lips as a result of the horrific assaults.

Now he is so frightened of what may happen next, he wears the £450 protective vest whenever he goes out in his home town of St Helens, Merseyside.

He said: 'I only go out if I have to. The less I go out, the less chance of putting myself in a situation where I get attacked.' 

Michael bought the protective vest from the internet shortly after he was attacked for the second time in January as he walked home from a shift at a social club where he works part-time to help fund his studies.

He walked past two teenage boys and a girl but after a few moments, the group turned back ran towards him.

He was punched and kicked to the ground and threatened with a knife before he bravely fought back.

However, the gang proved too much for him and as he lay helpless on the pavement, a teenage girl stamped on his head.

'I could see blood all over my jumper and was angry because I couldn't believe it was happening again,' he said at the time.

'The first time I thought it was a one off, it's not going to happen again, but now it's happened a second time I don't know what to think.'

Michael was rushed to casualty where he was treated for a fractured skull, two burst lips and bruising to his nose and forehead which had a visible stamp mark on it.

Once he was discharged, the final year student at Liverpool John Moore's University bought the vest, which he only wears in St Helens, from the website Spycatcher.

'After the second time I got attacked I bought the vest straight away,' he added.

'That's when I was threatened with a knife and I thought if I am going to bump into them, I will get a vest to be on the safe side.

'When I got it, I used to wear it every time I went out. Then I stopped wearing it because I thought I was being paranoid.

'But when I read about a man being attacked in a park, I thought I would start wearing it again.'

Michael was first attacked 100 yards from his home on The Shires estate last June.

After that, he needed hospital treatment after he suffered temporary blindness.

'It has happened at both entrances to my estate now so it's not like I can avoid it,' Michael said.

'It's something I've just got to get on with. Hopefully somebody will be able to help the police catch them before they do it again. I'm not sure what they're capable of.'