Horrifying moment pickpocket gang beat eight-months-pregnant woman to the ground and break her jaw in front of terrified passengers on Rome metro: Doctors are forced to deliver baby to save it

This is the horrifying moment an eight-months-pregnant woman was viciously beaten by a gang of three pickpocketers on a Rome metro until her jaw was broken.

The woman, reportedly in her forties, was left for dead on the ground at Termini station on Friday after three people attacked her in the middle of a carriage. Doctors were forced to deliver the baby to save its life after the assault.

As horrified onlookers gather around, the group can be seen kicking her while shouting: 'You have to bring more earnings'.

Speaking to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, she said: 'They sent a group of thugs to massacre me because I told them I didn't want to steal anymore. 

'They attacked me while I was on the subway, using brass knuckles and also hitting me with bottles.'

In the sickening footage, two men can be seen stepping into the carriage - both dressed in black.  

One is wearing a tracksuit with white stripes and a sports cap, and with them is another male in black trousers, a white sweatshirt and a hat of the same colour, with a black bag on his shoulder.

As they piled onto the train they can be seen throwing hard punches and swinging back their legs before landing kicks onto the woman who soon drops to the ground.

Recalling the ordeal, the woman said: 'My only thought was the son I was carrying. I had to protect him and for this reason I always kept my hands on my belly. Hence the reason for the many wounds on my face: it was the only place they could hit'. 

 She added that she fell to the ground for shelter under the train seats, and to prevent the attackers from hitting her stomach.

'But they didn't stop,' she said, 'they continued for several minutes: kicking, punching, spitting until we reached the Termini stop . 

'At that point the doors opened and they, after another series of beatings, they ran away.'

Following the violent assault, panicked passengers could be heard yelling 'call the police' as the woman lay battered and bruised on the floor.

The pickpockets dashed off the train and emergency services quickly appeared on the scene - but the ordeal wasn't over for the woman yet.

Doctors rushed the woman to a local hospital in Rome and decided to deliver the baby throughout the night - even though it was still a month premature.

The baby is reportedly doing well, but the mother is still hospitalised in serious condition.

In the coming days, she is set to undergo facial surgery as the attackers left her with a broken jaw.

State police officers from the Viminale police station are investigating the case and have placed her under protection while in the hospital.   

Officers have examined the video footage, where the faces of the attackers can be seen, and are currently gathering information to proceed with the arrest. 

Local reports suggest that the three pickpockets are residents of the Castel Romano Roma camp.

According to Fanpage.It, the woman allegedly has 12 children and and was attacked as she decided she no longer wanted to steal and beg.