Chris Tonkin bashed after daughter Lucy had $5 stolen

LITTLE Lucy Tonkin watched terrified and helpless as a group of three young men set upon her dad, Chris, then beat him savagely as he fell to the ground.

Mr Tonkin had confronted the group after they stole $5 from six-year-old Lucy while she was walking on the street about 50m from her home in suburban Newcastle on Wednesday afternoon.

"She had just made a letter to Santa and stuck these five $1 coins on the back of it," Mr Tonkin said.

"She's gone for a bit of a walk out the front and dropped the envelope and these guys have picked it up, taken the money and sworn at her."