Police have released still images of two men they believe could assist with inquiries into the assault and robbery of a taxi driver in Brighton-Le-Sands last August.

About 2.45am (Saturday, 18 August 2012), a taxi driver was conveying two men from Kings Cross to Brighton-Le-Sands.

The driver pulled up at Bay Street, Brighton-Le-Sands where the passengers got out of the vehicle, and reportedly refused to pay the fare.

The taxi driver got out of the vehicle and approached the two men on the footpath. He was repeatedly punched in the face and one of the men attempted to take his wallet from his pocket.

The two men were last seen fleeing in a southerly direction along The Grand Parade, Brighton-Le-Sands.

The taxi driver was treated by paramedics at the scene for a deep laceration to his right eye and significant swelling to his face. He later attended St George Hospital for further treatment.

Police would like to interview the two persons in the CCTV images in relation to the matter.

The first person depicted in the images is described as a man approximately173cm tall, aged in his twenties, with dark, shaved hair with a line shaved into the top left hand side of his forehead. He had a solid build. He is shown wearing a black t-shirt with the words ‘New York NY’ written in white, long black pants and black shoes.

The second person is a man aged in his mid-twenties, approximately 178cm tall and wearing a white t-shirt with blue writing, dark pants and white shoes. He had a solid build and a ‘sleeve’ tattoo on his right arm.

Both men were of Pacific Islander/Maori appearance.