By Conor Sharkey

THOSE behind the filming of a sickening and depraved attack on a Strabane teenager were this week described as 'filth and scum' by the victim's father.

The shocking video, recorded on a mobile telephone, was handed over to the Strabane Chronicle and features several young men, all of whom appear to be heavily intoxicated. A young woman is also heard in the background saying she feels sorry for the victim. However, not one of the gang appears to intervene.

During the gruesome two-minute film, the 18-year-old male victim is pushed to the ground before being stripped, kicked and slapped by another male. Some of the most disturbing images however show the young man, apparently passed out on the ground, having a bottle placed at his anal passage.

The second male then appears to kick the bottle up into the young man, while the gang cheer and laugh in the background.

While not revealed in the short clip given to the Chronicle, it has since emerged that the victim was also burned more than 20 times with a lit cigarette.

It is understood that the extremely distressing scenes were later posted on the video-sharing website, Youtube. They are believed to have since been removed.

The Strabane Chronicle is aware of the identity of this young victim and has decided not to publish it. However, the teenager's father did speak to us on Tuesday, revealing that he had only been made aware of the attack after being approached by a third party.

"This attack happened on Saturday May 3, but I was only made aware of it the following Thursday.

"My son said nothing to either me or my wife. But when I approached him about it, he showed me the cigarette burns all over his back and neck.

"He explained that he had been stripped, beaten and left lying in a field