Australian father beaten and robbed by group of '20 youths' in front of daughter after collecting her from cinema - video

The man's daughter was pushed to the ground as she attempted to protect her father

A horrific video has emerged from Australia showing the moment a father was severely beaten and then robbed in front of his young daughter by a gang of thugs outside a cinema north of Sydney.

The attack, which was caught on the mobile phones of onlookers, shows Tibor Racsits, 42, beaten multiple times as he tried to protect his daughter on Sunday from a group of youths outside the Charlestown Square cinema in Newcastle, New South Wales.

His daughter Kiara, 13, is heard screaming throughout the attack as Racsits is dragged across the floor and kicked in the head and stomach.

Kiara can also be seen being pushed face first into the road as she attempts to shield her father from the flurry of blows. The video has now gone viral, causing outrage across Australia social media sites.

According to an interview by Racsits in the Sydney Morning Herald today, the 42-year-old had gone to collect his daughter after she had rung to tell him that a group of girls had threatened to assault her.

Finding his daughter, Racsits said he quickly became surrounded by a group of “20 young people”.

Telling the group to leave his daughter alone, Racsits was challenged to a fight by one of the boys.

After refusing, he said the group became more confrontational and began pushing him as he walked back towards his car.

Racsits said that the blows came when he pushed one of the boys out of the way.

“As soon as I have pushed him out of the way, there was just kicks and punches from the side," Mr Racsits explained, “It dragged on for about five to 10 metres but it got to a point where I was starting to get a bit dizzy from all the hits I was copping and I went down.”

After the beating stopped, Racsits discovered that the youths had taken his wallet, car keys and his mobile phone.

Both Racsits and his daughter were treated for injuries at the scene, with Racsits suffering damage to his ribs.

On Tuesday, police reported that a 15-year-old boy had been arrested in connection with the attack and will be dealt with under the Young Offenders Act.