Athlete blinded by thugs; Teen punched by phone robbers: Teen blinded by phone thugs.

Byline: Chris Henwood

A KEEN young athlete has been forced to quit the sport he loves after being blinded in one eye for the sake of a mobile phone. Haroon Arif, aged 15, was a member of Halesowen Athletics Club before he was set upon by thugs in a street attack. Haroon, of Springfield Road, Halesowen, was punched in the face during the late-night attack, leaving him with an injury which robbed him of the sight in his right eye. But the thugs escaped with just his phone. The attack left the Leasowes Community College student in need of laser eye surgery to repair tears to his retina, but specialists couldn't restore his eyesight. He has since stopped his weekly running sessions at the club he'd been a member of for nearly a year. But the brave teenager has refused to let the terrible setback affect him too much, according to 23-year-old sister Nadifa. "He's been a bit down about it, but it's not really knocked his confidence too much - he's being tough," she said.

"He came home after the attack and just said he'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time." A West Midlands Police spokesman: "The boy had been a keen athlete and was a member of a running club in Halesowen prior to the attack. "He has since had to give up his membership, as a result of losing his sight." The teenager was confronted by two thugs in New John Street, Halesowen, at around 10pm on September 1. They demanded he hand over his possessions and one of them punched him in the face. The main offender was white and in his late teens or early 20s. He was around 5ft 9ins, had broad shoulders and a large build with a round face. He wore a black hooded jacket with a Nike logo on the chest and black trousers. The second offender was white and in his mid to late teens. He was around 5ft 8ins tall, of medium build, and wore dark clothing. Witnesses should call Halesowen CID * on 0845 113 5000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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Surgery: Haroon Arif.