News Service from House Harris

NSW: Man haunted kebab skewer attacker still free

SYDNEY, Dec 10 AAP - A Sydney man almost killed when a kebab skewer was plunged into his neck says he's too scared to go out anymore and is haunted his attacker is still free.

The 29-year-old from Penrith, who wants to be known only as Michael, was attacked by a gang of five men in a Kings Cross laneway in the early hours of August 31 this year.

Shortly into the attack, a wooden skewer was stabbed 10cm into Michael's neck, piercing his jugular vein and narrowly missing a major artery.

He was set upon only minutes after an altercation in the nearby Yu (Yu) bar in the inner-city nightclub district.

"To me it (the fight) was over nothing," Michael told reporters on Wednesday.

"He asked me to buy him a drink, or whatever, I don't know why, and it just escalated from there."

After being escorted from the club, the group surrounded Michael and a friend and began "throwing random punches".

"The other guys held my friend back and then ... (another) guy started to go to town on me," he said.

"I had quite a few punches thrown at me, so I had a tingling face ... so this was just another punch, I thought ... but then my mate actually realised there was stick protruding from my neck."

Michael and his friend hailed down a police officer who drove them to nearby St Vincent's Hospital.

"The vascular surgeon ... he's amazed at how lucky I am," Michael said.

"It could have cost me my life."

A 10cm long scar on the left side of Michael's neck is a harsh reminder of the incident.

He also suffers from the nerve condition Horner's Syndrome as a result of the attack - leaving him with no feeling on the left side of his face or neck.

Michael said he has not returned to the city since the incident and the difference in his personality after the attack is "like night and day".

"I definitely don't like being around too many people," he said.

"It has played on my mind since it happened that the guy has got off scot-free. He's walking around thinking he got away with it.

"It's disturbing to know that he's out there ... if he could do it to one person he could do it to countless people."

NSW Police have called for public help to find the attackers.

"The concerning part about this particular assault is that the weapon is available anywhere ... for it to be used in this sort of a fashion is particularly disturbing to me," Superintendent Tony Crandell.

The man who stabbed Michael is described as about 187cm tall, Mediterranean in appearance with olive skin, a slim build, broad shoulders and short dark hair.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.