Gareth Blanks was attacked as he walked back from the shops near his home in Truro , Cornwall , because he has autism and looks vulnerable . A community is rallying around a defenceless man who was viciously beaten in a sustained and sickening attack by a gang of thugs - because he 's autistic . More than 1,500 people have come out in support of Gareth Blanks after the attack that saw him kicked and punched more than 20 times . Mr Blanks , 31 , was walking home after buying a chocolate bar when he was approached by a group of three men and one woman at around 8.30pm on April 17 . He was taunted by the group before snatching the hat from his head . When he tried to retrieve the garment , he was pushed to the ground , and one of the males punched and kicked him 20 times in the head and across his body . Mr Blanks is now recovering at his home in Truro , Cornwall , but his family say it will take him a long time to recover , and he has been left with deep mental scars . An online support group called Support Gareth , which has already attracted over 1,500 likes on Facebook with several leaving messages of support . His mother , Sandra , 54 , who works as a dinner lady said : 'He 's still very distraught , he 's shook up and it 's going to take him some time before he can go out on his own again . 'They clearly targeted because of his condition . He does look vulnerable and walks around in his own little world . They did n't take anything about from his hat so their intention was clearly just to take the mickey out of him . 'When he came in , he was crying and really upset . 'As a mum , it was horrific to see . I am now just spending all my time trying to get my son sorted out . 'All the support he has got has been a tremendous help and we are so grateful . 'But this will take him a long time to get over . The physical scars will heal a lot quicker than the mental ones . ' Mrs Blanks , who has five children Kelly , 33 , Samantha , 27 , Lyndsey , 29 , and Roy , 34 , added : ' I really think need the people responsible need help themselves . There is a lot I would like to say about them - but I ca n't . ' I do n't think they would have liked to have got the beating they gave to my son . ' Police are investigating the crime by pouring over CCTV footage , and are confident they will catch The attackers . Mr Blanks , pictured , here with his sisters Kelly , left , and Lindsey , and mother Sandra , right , was 'hysterical ' when he returned to his home in Truro in Cornwall following the attack on April 17 at 8.30pm . His sister Kelly Blanks said : 'When he came home he was in a hysterical state and you could n't get any sense out of him . ' Investigation office PC Kim James , from Devon and Cornwall Police , said : 'It was a vicious and unprovoked attack by a female and three males in their late teens or early 20s . ' Sergeant Marc Sayers , from Truro police , said : 'This is clearly a cowardly attack on a vulnerably young man going about his normal business . It was almost pack activity . 'We take all attacks extremely seriously but this is exceptional , it was completely unwarranted and unprovoked . 'It also appears to have been quite a sustained attack on a male who was quite defenceless . ' Three men and a woman attacked Mr Blanks as he returned from the shop after buying a bar of chocolate .
Gareth Blanks was beaten as he walked home from the shops in Truro . The 31-year-old has autism and police confirmed that he is vulnerable . Three men and a woman began punching and kicking him for no reason . Police believe that the four attackers are all in their late teens or early 20s .