One of the victims, an 18-year-old with hearing difficulties, was punched in the face and had his hearing aid damaged during the attack.
It happened at about 9.30pm in the Alton Community Centre car park on Saturday, February 9.

The three victims, all friends aged between 17 and 18, were walking through the car park when they were approached by a group of five or six youths.

The youths demanded the friends hand over a crate of beer they were carrying. When they refused they were assaulted.

The 18-year-old victim must now be assessed by doctors to see if he has suffered any further damage to his hearing.

His bag, containing a portable Playstation, was taken. It was later found discarded but the games console – worth £120 – was missing. The other two friends suffered minor cuts and bruises.

All the youths are believed to be local, aged between 15 and 16-years-old and wore sports clothing.

PC Nick Whitehouse from Alton police station said: "Street robberies of this kind are extremely rare in Alton.

"However, this was a particularly nasty assault on three innocent victims who happened to be walking through a public car park.

"The area was fairly busy at the time with other groups of teenagers gathered nearby. If anyone has any information, I would urge them to contact me in confidence.

"It may be that someone who'd been parking their car at the time may also have seen what happened."

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has any information is asked to contact PC Whitehouse at Alton police station on 0845 045 4545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.