I spoke to John my son on the 5th July 2022 by tea time 6th July I was informed my son had been attacked and was in Sheffield neuro critical care. We raced over from Scarborough to find him in an induced coma after having half his skull removed because of the brain swell. He was in a coma for a week and we were just praying he would pull though. He started to regain consciousness after a week but no one knew what damage he had suffered so it was a waiting game. 

He was left having to wear an helmet and slurred speech, a weak left side and a constant string of serious seizures which almost always meant he ended up in resuscitation . He lost his job because their insurance didn’t cover him they were pretty good and gave him a year but in the end he was let go. It took 16 months before he was offered an operation to have a plate fitted. His plate was fitted in November 2023 but unfortunately he passed on Dec 11th 2023 after being declared brain dead. He left a daughter of 8 years. As a family we were devastated and didn’t know what to do. As a mum I felt that I had died inside that day too. We promise to protect our children when they are born but as adults we can’t always do that.

We are now in may 2024 and no further still not had a death certificate or even any news from the police. The police did question a 26 year old after the original incident from CCTV evidence and he was known to police. He was questioned on attempted murder but released on further investigation. It turns out after watching the CCTV that John was hit at the back of the head twice by two different assailants they have never found the second man. I feel let down by the justice system and there has been no support with exception of this charity One Punch Kills. We resorted to contacting our local MP and we are expecting a visit from the CID tommorow. John was just walking home and suffered 16 months of being in and out of resuscitation with serious seizures due to the attacks of July  2022.

He was doting father and took his daughter to school almost everyday he lived for her Robyn Smith. Robyn is collecting things to put in a memory box. I just want justice for my son and for people to understand that drinking and hitting someone with one punch can kill and leave a path of devastation behind. Education should start in schools teaching people to think before delivering what  could be a lethal blow.