Croydon police let a man off with a caution who attacked his former tattooist, hospitalising him for two days and almost tearing off his ear.

Benjamin Wilkie, 23, was walking home when a man who he had done a tattoo for confronted him outside the Black Sheep Bar in Croydon High Street.

Before Mr Wilkie knew it the argument had turned violent and he had been knocked unconcious and was being repeatedly kicked on the ground.

He was taken to hospital where he spent two days being treated for injuries to his head, nose and a partially severed ear.

Mr Wilkie said: “I was walking home when I ran into a guy I had done a tattoo for. He wasn’t happy about something and we started talking about it, then out of nowhere he turned violent.

"I didn’t even notice it get to that point.

"According to witnesses he was kicking me in the head while I was on the ground, out-cold.

"The police deemed it important enough to come see me while I was in hospital but then I got told about two weeks after the attack he was being let off with a caution.

"It’s disgusting they didn’t do anything about it. I had two witnesses and they must have had it on CCTV.

"Whether they were just being lazy, they just thought it was just another Croydon attack or they wanted to keep the stats down I don’t know.

"I just want to find out why the police decided to do absolutely nothing about this and didn’t push it further. It should have gone to court and instead it was just left with the guy getting a caution."

Mr Wilkies girlfriend, flim studies student Lois Jones, said: "Up until now I have had total faith in the police, but now I am shocked with their actions as now they are giving out the message 'go beat the crap out of someone, that's fine, we don't care as long as our statistics are down."

A spokesman from the Metropolitan Police said: "We are not prepared to discuss this matter."