Frank Stuart

A “heroic” night porter, who refused to hand robbers the keys to the hotel’s safe, was left with 35 stitches after being brutally tortured.

Frank Stewart, 51, an employee at Jury’s hotel on Lewisham Way, was attacked by the two men with a hammer and knife after refusing to give them the keys to the hotel’s safe.

Detective Inspector James Dallowey described the men as “particularly vicious”.

Stewart was bundled into the hotel’s basement by the two thugs after he found them breaking into a fruit machine.

He was repeatedly hit with a hammer and slashed on the face with a knife when he wouldn’t hand over the keys to the safe.

Police are now searching for two white men. The first man is in his early twenties, 5’11, with short dark hair.

The second man is in his thirties, 5’4, with long brown hair. He was wearing a sweatshirt, jeans and had a knife and a sheaf attached to his belt.

Jeremy Bates, the hotel manager is offering a £500 reward to anyone who can identify the robbers.

He said: “Frank is a hero. We shall do everything we can to help his family.”