This is the horrific moment an Irish holidaymaker is punched repeatedly in the face by another tourist and stamped on the head while he lays motionless on steps outside his Spanish hotel complex.

Police in Gran Canaria confirmed overnight they are investigating four Irish men aged 21 to 42 over the sickening assault, which was captured on CCTV.

The confirmation came as it emerged the 49-year-old victim had allegedly tried to forcibly kiss a female relative of the men who attacked him.

The woman had been with him moments before he was attacked.

Footage showed him lying on a set of stairs being pummelled repeatedly around the face before another man who went to his aid was attacked.

This is the horrific moment an Irish holidaymaker is punched repeatedly in the face by another tourist and stamped on the head while he lays motionless on steps outside his Spanish hotel complex in Puerto Rico, found in the south of Gran Canaria, on September 20

A second aggressor then punched the first victim several times in the face again before returning seconds later and stamping on his head, even though he appeared to be unconscious at the time and was quite obviously offering no resistance.

Detectives investigating the incident in the resort of Puerto Rico in the south of Gran Canaria released footage of the horrific incident overnight as they confirmed five Irish nationals were under investigation including the victim of the attack.

It happened in the early hours of September 20.

A Civil Guard spokesman, confirming the nationalities of all those involved, said: ‘The five people under investigation include a man aged 49 accused of a crime of sexual assault for trying to forcibly kiss a woman without her consent and four men aged 21 to 42 as the alleged authors of a crime of serious wounding.’

The force spokesman added: ‘The investigation began on September 20 when an emergency call was received about a man who was unconscious on steps leading to a tourist apartment complex in Puerto Rico.

‘That person was taken to a hospital in the capital Las Palmas.

‘That same night a female Irish tourist reported a man to police, saying she had been heading back to her hotel accommodation with relatives when they bumped into two other tourists of the same nationality in a chance meeting which ended with one of the two men trying to forcibly kiss her against her will.’

Detectives said there had been an initial confrontation between the two groups of tourists before the more serious incident a few minutes later during a second meeting when they encountered each other because they all happened to be staying at the same tourist complex.

The man who allegedly caused the first confrontation is said to have tried to kiss the woman again a second time round at that point, sparking the vicious assault that was captured on CCTV cameras.

Police in Gran Canaria confirmed overnight they are investigating four Irish men aged 21 to 42 over the sickening assault, which was caught on CCTV (pictured)

Local reports said the assault victim needed stitches but it has not been made clear if he remains in hospital.

The Civil Guard is understood to have submitted a report on the incident to a court in the town of San Bartolome de Tirajana near Puerto Rico.

Normal procedure would involve an investigating judge summoning the men to court for questioning as suspects and the unnamed woman as a witness.

It was not immediately clear this morning if they have already been quizzed and whether they are still on Gran Canaria.