A train passenger was brutally attacked by a gang of thugs after he refused to let them try on the top hat which has become his 'trademark ' because he wears it every day . Jacky Pautonnier was returning home from a dinner party when he was accosted on the train platform by a man pestering him to try on his hat . When he refused , the yob went and fetched two friends , who followed him onto the train and beat him unconscious before stealing his beloved headgear . Assault : Jacky Pautonnier was left with horrific injuries after he was attacked by thugs on a train . Horrific : Mr Pautonnier , a French e-cigarette seller , refused to let one yob try on his 'trademark ' top hat . Mr Pautonnier , 56 , had to undergo reconstructive surgery to repair multiple fractures on his face after the horrific assault , which took place last month on a train between Catford and Charing Cross in London . The French e-cigarette salesman said : 'It 's awful . I have been so sad without my top hat . We had spent the day eating cheese and I was tired so I went home alone . ' I was wearing my top hat and this guy carrying bags of spirits pestered me on the platform . 'The guy said , `` Hey mate , can I try on your top hat ? `` , but the way he asked me was n't very nice . Usually it would n't be a problem but I said no and he was n't very happy . ' Ten minutes later , the thug returned with two friends , and they taunted him again on the platform then boarded the same train as him . Surgery : Mr Pautonnier had to undergo an operation to repair the damage to his face . Injuries : The victim 's skull was fractured in three places around the eyes and nose . 'The three guys sat behind me and started to tip my hat and I said , `` Can you stop please ? '' but he came and sat next to me , ' Mr Pautonnier said . 'Then I got up and one of the guys pushed me against the carriage door and said , `` You are getting on my nerves , why wo n't you let me wear your hat ? '' ' I tried to calm him down but I blacked out here , I lost consciousness . ' The father of two woke up at Charing Cross in a pool of blood before taking the Tube home to Canada Water in south-east London and going to sleep . When his partner Jennie Allen arrived home she convinced him to go to hospital , where X-rays revealed that he had fractures below his left eye , on his nose and on the top of his left eye . Gruesome : The scene on the train after Mr Pautonnier was beaten up and left unconscious . Suspects : Police are trying to speak to these three men over the assault on Mr Pautonnier . Mr Pautonnier , who is president of the Association of London Normans , bought the hat for £45 in 2008 from the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street after his son Alex said it suited him . Alex , now a 24-year-old chef in London , convinced his father to wear it to work the next day and Mr Pautonnier went on to make a habit of it . ' I wore it to work and everybody commented that it suited me , ' he said . ' I 've worn it ever since and it has become my trademark . ' I feel sad without it . I 've got another one but it 's just not the same . ' British Transport Police released surveillance camera footage of three men they wish to talk to following the assault but are yet to make any arrests . Investigating officer Stephen Allen said : ' I am keen to speak to the men in the CCTV images as they may hold vital information to my investigation and I urge them to come forward . '
Alex , 56 , was returning home from a dinner party last month . Thug accosted him on train platform and demanded to try on his top hat . When the victim refused , the yob and two friends attacked him and left him unconscious on the floor of the train . Mr Pautonnier needed reconstructive surgery to repair the damage .