Vicious beating at Nelson bar

A "skinhead" viciously assaulted a man at a Nelson bar on Wednesday night, leaving him in hospital with serious injuries.

Police have strong leads on the attacker's identity, said Detective Aaron Kennaway, of the Nelson CIB.

"He has been described as a skinhead, but the incident has nothing to do with gangs."

Police are also seeking a witness to the attack, which took place at 11.30pm at the Vic Mac's Brew Bar in Trafalgar St.

"This unprovoked assault could have ended in tragedy.

"Had the attack not been interrupted, the victim's injuries could have been even worse," Mr Kennaway said.

The victim received serious injuries to his face after receiving a "sound kicking" and was flown to Wellington Hospital for surgery.

The witness who walked in on the attack is believed to be Canadian or American.

The offender fled after he was seen by the witness.

Bar manager Lee Fern said the offender wasn't a regular, and although he had a shaven head was not a skinhead.

"That's not the sort of crowd we had on that night, and the incident was not gang-related or anything.

"There was a good regular crowd and a good positive atmosphere. There was no trouble apart from that," Mr Fern said.

After being alerted to the incident, bar staff called an ambulance and closed off the bathroom to tend to the victim until help arrived.

- © Fairfax NZ News