Journalist brutally assaulted while covering Southport protests in England, police initially refused to help

Aftermath of riots in Southport show a burned police van and debris in the streets after at least three girls were killed in a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. (Credit: Stuart Walmsley /TMX)

EXCLUSIVE: A journalist covering the protests in Southport, England, following the killing of three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event was brutally assaulted and robbed by demonstrators, and said police initially refused his request to be escorted to safety.

The Publica writer, Jack Hadfield, told Fox News Digital he was mobbed, had his phone charger stolen and was punched so hard during the protest on Tuesday that a piece of his tooth fell out of his mouth. The Publica said in a statement it abruptly ended its coverage of the protests to ensure Hadfield made it to safety.

"I am recovering well after the attack, if still being a bit shaken," he told Fox News Digital. "It certainly has not deterred me from continuing to cover on the ground events, and I'm taking the broken tooth to be a battle scar!"

Hadfield said he arrived in Southport shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday and a short time later attended a vigil that was held in response to the killing of the three girls. 

Axel Rudakubana, 17, was identified as the suspect in the stabbing deaths.

UK STABBING SPREE LEAVES 2 KIDS DEAD, 9 OTHERS INJURED AT TAYLOR SWIFT-THEMED EVENT: 'DEEPLY SHOCKING'

Jack Hadfield said he was mobbed, had his phone charger stolen and was punched so hard that his tooth was chipped. (The Publica)

After the vigil, Hadfield went to St Luke's Road to cover a protest that was scheduled for 8 p.m., when the demonstration had already become violent, including police cars being burned and people throwing bricks at a mosque, he said.