A British man and woman claiming they were brutally attacked inside and outside a nightclub by up to 10 men including bouncers, have accused police of running scared of their attackers.

They were just staring at me like I was an animal in the zoo

“It’s outrageous; it seems that Paceville is a zone of illegality where bouncers run the show,” the man told The Sunday Times.

Trouble started for the 24-year-old Welshman and an Englishwoman, both working in igaming in Malta, at around 5 a.m. on December 4.

The woman was punched in the face by a man dressed in a security uniform, whom she accused of dealing drugs in the women’s toilets at a nightclub.

After being dragged outside by security, the woman took refuge in a neighbouring club as the man was set upon by a pack of men “who seemed to come out nowhere” while the door staff looked on.

One of his attackers even threw a bottle at his face from close range that struck him on the bridge of the nose.

When the blows stopped and he staggered away, he says the club bouncers just stood there glaring at him.

He then spent the next 20 minutes staggering around covered in blood, imploring people to call the police, but “they were just staring at me like I was an animal in the zoo.” Eventually a police car turned up and he filed a report.

“The bouncers and their friends were still standing there and I was pointing at them – begging police to arrest the culprits. But it was obvious they were scared to do anything.”

He was taken to hospital in an ambulance with a fractured nose and heavy facial bruising. The Englishwoman accompanied him and had to be fitted with a neck brace.

After being released from hospital later that day the man filed a report at St Julian’s police station.

The male victim identified one of the suspects from photos and was informed he was the son of one the bouncers.

A week later, he was called back to St Julian’s police station and asked to identify the same man again from the same photo. Since then he has heard nothing.

“The incident has made me lose a lot of faith in the system,” he said. “The bouncers seem to be getting away with running a racket at certain clubs.”

When contacted, the nightclub manager said the man involved in the initial altercation with the woman in the toilet was not one of the club’s bouncers.

“Security men from other clubs come to my club for a drink after work because we are open later. Obviously they are dressed like security, but they don’t work for us. This man was security from another club,” he said.

He didn’t know why the man was in the women’s toilets but said she was thrown out because she became “hysterical”. The club’s bouncers were on friendly terms with bouncers from other clubs, the manager said, so it was natural that they looked out for one another.

As for attack outside, the manager again denied the involvement of any of the club’s bouncers and said they were only responsible for ensuring the safety of patrons inside; they were not required to defend anyone outside the club.

He also said the police came to investigate the matter and the nightclub had nothing to hide.

Questions sent to the police remained unanswered.

In February last year, two bouncers from the same nightclub were charged with the attempted murder of two Italians who were hospitalised after a Valentine’s night attack in the club.

From January 31 security staff in bars and clubs will have to be in possession of a new licence. To qualify for the licence, they will have to prove that that they have served for five years in the police, armed forces or prison services, or for an accumulated period of five years as a private guard.