A MUM whose teenage son was badly beaten by a gang of young thugs has hailed the homeless people who came to his rescue.

Some bystanders did not lift a finger to help the terrified 15-year-old, who was beaten up in broad daylight at a busy York bus stop.

But a group of homeless people in Exhibition Square went to the boy's aid as he fled from the gang of ten youths.

Angered by the unprovoked attack, they tried to find out who was responsible, while waiting with the victim until he was safely on a bus home.

The victim, from Easingwold, believes the fact that the group stepped in may have stopped him from getting more seriously hurt.

The boss of a York homeless centre today said he was not surprised the vulnerable men stepped in.

The schoolboy, who asked not to be named for fear of a repeat beating, was left with chipped teeth and a string of bruises to his face, jaw and hands, as he tried to protect himself from the volley of blows.

The skating fan was waiting for a bus when the culprits - all dressed in sports clothing - struck at 8pm.

He recalled: "I moved away at first, but the group came up to me. One asked my name then started hitting me in the face. Then a few others joined in.

"I ran off and asked a woman for help - but she just looked at me. The group caught up and I was kneed in the face, but managed to make it on to a bus."

The schoolboy said the driver locked the doors and let him wait until an Easingwold service arrived.

By then the homeless people had handed back his cap and waited until it was safe for the boy to leave.

"They were annoyed by what happened and were asking who'd done it," he recalled. "They were scruffy, but they made me feel a lot safer."

He feared the gang might have returned if they "had not stuck up" for him, but has vowed to carry on coming to York to meet his pals and skate.

The boy's grateful mother said: "I just want to thank them. They have probably been on the receiving end, so they know what it's like.

"It was a very generous gesture. They could have got hurt."

Jeremy Jones, director of the Arc Light Project, in Leeman Road, York, said: "Other people might just turn a blind eye to a youngster being beaten up, but they will do everything to help, because frequently they are the victims.

"They recognise the vulnerability in others."

His mother believed he may have been targeted because he was carrying skates - and was concerned about the growing violence involving young gangs in the city.

Police said the incident, which happened just after 8pm on March 22, had been reported to them.

Updated: 10:20 Monday, April 11, 2005