The 16-year-old Arab had just returned to the seaside town after a three-day excursion to Cambridge when he was beaten to death by racist thugs.

He and his fellow students were given the option where to spend their last week, and chose to return to Hastings, where they had already studied for three weeks.

Now his pals have vowed to leave the historic seaside town, which is now one of the most deprived in Britain with a soaring crime rate, at the earliest opportunity - and never return.

Mohammed's room-mate in Hastings, Majd Al Ghannamah, 19, who also suffered a black eye in the assault, said: "This is a bad place. At first we liked it, but now we have seen the truth.

"When we left the kebab shop on Friday night, those boys were shouting, 'Are you Arabs? Are you Arabs?'

"Then they started chanting, 'F**k off you Arabs, f**k off you Arabs'. I couldn't believe it. They were crazy. They just attacked us and kept punching, kicking and shouting.

"They called me Saddam Hussain and Osama Bin Laden. I was shocked. We just wanted to get away, get home, but they attacked and we couldn't get away.

"Mohammed was such a kind person, really generous and welcoming. He wanted to be friends with everyone. I don't know anyone who didn't like him.

"Now all of us want to leave here as soon as possible. I'll go to Cambridge, anywhere. But not here. This is a very bad place, and I will never come back here."

Mohammed, who suffered fatal brain damage after being punched and kicked to the ground by the baying yobs, was due to return home to Qatar, in Middle East, at the end of next week.

He and his friends had returned to Hastings just three days before the attack took place.

Brian Farrington, 70, who owns the house in Mann Street where Mohammed and some of his friends were staying, said: "Mohammed immediately struck me as a very smart, presentable young man.

"He was extremely polite and well-mannered, like all the students I host. He was a marvellous kid.

"He hadn't even unpacked his case after returning from Cambridge. The whole thing has come as such a shock to me and all the other boys staying in my house. They're just devastated.

"I can't even imagine how his family are feeling at this time."

He added Mohammed's parents have been flown over to Hastings from Qatar and are currently staying at the expense of the EF Language School where the youngster was studying.