Simon Dobbin suffers catastrophic brain damage

Bury Free Press

Paul Derick

June 5,2015

 

 

The son of a Mildenhall man who has been left ‘severely disabled’ after a horrific attack has raised £1,000 in aid of a charity that supports people with acquired brain injury.

Liam Dobbin, 21, of South Wales, organised a charity cricket match in Abercarn in honour of his dad Simon, who was assaulted by a group of men in Southend in March.

The Cambridge United fan and father of three, who had been to an away game and was walking back to Prittlewell train station with a small group of other supporters when they were attacked. He suffered a head injury and was left in a coma on a life-support machine.

Liam will donate funds from the event to Headway Suffolk’s new satellite hub at St John’s Community Centre, in Mildenhall.

His sister Rebecca, 24 , of Oxford, says her dad could end up using the hub, as he will be ‘severely disabled’ with ‘significant brain injury’.

Miss Dobbin, who is training to be a nurse, said her dad is currently on a rehabilitation unit where he has daily contact with a physiotherapist as well as speech and language therapists.

She said he has ‘good days and bad days’.

When asked how responsive he is, she said: “He will look at you when you say his name. He doesn’t really respond to dad but when I say Simon he will look straight at me.”

She added: “It saddens me to think my dad potentially had so many years ahead of him. We just want to help as many people as possible who are going through the same thing we are.”

Three men from Southend, aged 19, 22 and 33, and a 23-year-old man from Westcliff, answered bail on Wednesday in connection with the incident and were rebailed.