KEY POINTS:
A British man was so badly beaten in a late-night assault that the footprints of two of his assailants were imprinted on his face.
The man, who flew from Australia to attend a friend's wedding today, is instead lying unconscious in a hospital bed after the vicious attack.
Police say the man, who attended a stag party in Napier on Thursday night, was attacked by three men as he walked down the main street in the Hawkes Bay suburb of Taradale - Gloucester St - near Billy Burke's bar about 1am yesterday.
He had become separated from his group of friends before the assault.
A fight ensued and the man was knocked to the ground.
Two attackers then stamped on him, leaving imprints of their shoes on his face and head.
Police said they were appalled by the attack.
The injured man, who lives and works in Australia but is a British national, was taken to Hawkes Bay Hospital after a passer-by alerted emergency services.
The attackers had fled the scene when emergency services arrived but police yesterday arrested three 17-year-olds over the incident.
Darrin Peter Wright, Hamish Glenn Bowman and Joshua McConville, all from Taradale, appeared in the Napier District Court charged with assault, and were remanded in custody to appear again next Wednesday.
The police communications manager for the eastern district, Kris McGehan, said police had been unable to speak to the injured man about how the fight started as he was in a coma yesterday.
"We need to ascertain what happened, we know there was some sort of scuffle."
Adam Turnbull, of Heaven's Bakery on Gloucester St, arrived at work about 5.45am to find the street the focus of police activity.
Several of the shops on the street, including the bakery, had been broken into recently, Mr Turnbull said.
Taradale's main shopping centre was cordoned off until about 10.30am as police carried out forensic work.
Police have not publicly identified the victim, as they were last night trying to find his family in Britain.
The man's friends declined to speak to reporters.
