A 15-YEAR-old boy was punched on the side of the head as he left a mosque in High Wycombe, police said.

Officers have released a CCTV image of men they would like to speak to in relation to the assault occasioning ABH in Rutland Avenue, at the junction with Booker Lane.

The victim was leaving a mosque with a friend at 10.36pm on 31 March, when they saw three men who they thought they knew and approached them.

After a brief exchange one of the men punched the victim on the side of the head and another male is thought to have also punched the victim, before the third male separated the group.

The victim, who suffered severe swelling and bruising around his left eye, and his friend ran away.

He was treated at Wexham Park Hospital and has since been discharged.

One of the offenders is described as an Asian male, in his late 20s, of medium build.

He had distinctive facial hair, which was thick on the sides of his face but thinner in the middle with a goatee-style beard.

The second offender was in late 20s, Asian and with a skinny build.

The third man was Asian, of stocky build, wearing all grey clothes.

Thames Valley Police is appealing for anyone who recognises the men depicted in the CCTV images to call PC Simon Thomas on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.