One punch – destroy my
PARENTS REVEAL THEIR ANGUISH
THE parents of a man who lost half his skull after a one-punch attack have spoken of the devastation inflicted on their lives.
Jamie Kelly lost half of his skull while neurosurgeons were treating a bleed on his brain after he was viciously attacked on a street in North Yorkshire.
While the 41-year-old is showing slow yet encouraging signs of improvement, the severity of his injuries means he is likely to require specialist care for the rest of his life.
The man responsible for his condition is Daniel George Johnson, aged 32, of Cromwell Terrace, Scarborough.
On September 16 last year, Johnson punched Jamie in the head while they were near a pedestrian crossing on Ramshill Road, Scarborough.
Johnson pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to two years and five months’ imprisonment at York Crown Court on Monday.
In emotional victim impact statements read to the court, Jamie’s parents Brenda and Michael shared their devastation over their son’s lasting injuries.
Brenda, who lives in Spennymoor in County Durham, described how she felt on learning of the attack and impact on her son.
She said: “I felt completely numb, all I could think was that I was going to lose my boy.
“This sort of thing is what you hear about happening to other people, which is heartbreaking in itself, but never in a million years do you think it would happen to your family – especially your child.”
Jamie needed to be transferred fron Scarborough to Hull Hospital and was placed in an induced coma.
Brenda added: “I was an emotional mess on the phone, all I could imagine was that Jamie wasn’t going to wake up and I might never see my son alive again.
“Waiting for the phone call from Jamie’s dad [Michael] to tell me if the surgery had been successful or whether my boy was no longer with us was absolutely horrific.
“Michael rang me to tell me Jamie had come out of surgery but he also said he was still in a critical condition and on a ventilator. The thought of Jamie being on life support was so frightening. Michael told me a large piece of Jamie’s skull had been removed and it would not be replaced until the swelling in his brain would be normal. It was going to be a waiting game.
“I live in Spennymoor. I felt miles away. I kept thinking what if he dies, I need to be with him.
“We quickly packed a bag and jumped in the car. We were in the petrol station filling up when Jamie’s dad rang again to tell me that due to Covid Jamie was only going to be allowed one visitor.
“His dad lives in Scarborough so it only made sense he would be the one to be at Jamie’s bedside.
“My heart was breaking, not only was my son going through possibly the toughest time of his life but I, his mam, was not allowed to be there at his side while he tried to recover from his surgery.
“All I wanted to do was to hold his hand, talk to him and tell him everything was going to be all right...to give him a kiss and tell him I was here but I couldn’t.”
She went on: “I was not allowed to see my boy for eight long weeks.
“I could not leave the house as I just kept breaking down in tears as we did not know whether he would make it. The possibility of my son dying was a constant fear due to how poorly he was.
“I was in such a state. I felt like I was in a different world – I was here...but I wasn’t, I was like a zombie.
“After eight weeks we were told Jamie was going to be transferred back to Scarborough.
“He was only there four days as the hospital did not have the resources to take care of him.
“Again, Covid prevented both me and Jamie’s dad from visiting and it was heartbreaking knowing he was alone, none of us could hold his hand.
“He was transferred to York General Hospital High Dependency Unit which meant, at long last, I could visit my boy.
“Seeing Jamie for the first time was a massive shock to the system. My eyes were immediately drawn to his head.
“I expected his head to be bandaged but it took my breath away to see that it looked like he only had half of his head.
“I did not expect the amount of
his skull missing to be as severe as it looked. He looked like his head was sunken on one side.
“Looking at my boy so helpless was extremely emotional, the tears running down my face would notstop.
“I was happy to see Jamie but that was overshadowed by the heartache we were going though as a family.”
A neurologist told the family Jamie was still in a critical condition and if he recovered there was concern he would never live an independent life again.
Brenda said: “I felt like I had been sucker-punched, the light at the end of the tunnel was not shining as brightly anymore.
“Then Jamie shocked us all. Within a few weeks he started to open his eyes, then obeying simple commands.
“His tracheotomy was removed and within a couple of days he started trying to talk.
“As ecstatic as we were, we noticed Jamie had a severe tremor, which meant he could not do things such as feed himself. One of his eyes turned outwards on a severe angle, which meant he needed special glasses to help him see. This in addition to him not being able to stand or walk.
“He has recently been transferred to Woodlands Rehabiltation Centre with the hope of them being able to help him begin to recover some of the functions that a person needs to live a successful independent life.
“When I look at my son what I should see, what I want to see, is a strong, fit, happy independent 41-year-old man.
“All I do see, due to a violent punch Daniel Johnson inflicted on him, is a shell of a man.
“A man who has to drink from a non-spill ‘sippy cup,’ who needs help eating because tremors wrack his entire body.
“He cannot go to the toilet or shower himself.
“My son needs to learn to walk again because Daniel Johnson decided he would punch him, obviously intending to hurt him.
“Jamie has so many mountains to climb due to medical issues
caused by Daniel Johnson. What our family has gone though, and is still going through, is senseless.
“This is all because one so-called man thought violence was OK.
“One punch – that is all it took to destroy my boy’s life as he knew it.”
Jamie’s dad Michael Kelly also shared a devastating victim impact statement in which he described being in “a very dark place” after being told his son was critically injured.
He described the unimaginable impact one punch has had on his son, telling the court Jamie still cannot get out of bed and into the wheelchair by himself.
Michael added: “I realised I could lose my son at any time but I kept my sanity by convincing myself my son was a fighter and would pull through this nightmare.
“I had no respite from the sickly feeling which was with me day and night as a result of my poor son’s predicament.”
He said he felt it important Johnson knows what he has put Jamie and his family through.
He said: “Jamie still cannot get out of bed and into the wheelchair by himself.
“He still cannot dress or shower himself and go to the toilet himself.
“It is very hard to accept for Jamie as he is a proud man and desperate for independence.
“The injury to Jamie’s brain has resulted in his body being racked with severe shakes, so much so he cannot feed himself without his meal being thrown off the fork or spoon.
At times Jamie gets very confused. His eyes have been severely affected and are now in the corner of the eye socket.
“Jamie is not able to focus on anything and is now suffering severe double vision.
“Jamie’s skull flap has still not been replaced and doctors cannot say when it can be fitted.
“It is also possible it cannot be replaced and he might have to have a titanium plate fitted instead.
“With no skull flap to hold it, Jamie’s scalp has dropped that much half of his head is missing. He now has to wear a special padded cap whenever he is moved.
“Myself and Brenda, sister Michelle and the rest of our family will be eternally grateful to the doctors and nurses of the National Health Service for saving his life on many occasions.
“It is heart-breaking to see my son struggle so hard to have some quality of life and we don’t know what the extent of his recovery will be.
“What we do know is that Jamie will have to live with this for the rest of his life, as will we.”
Detective Constable Peter Day, of Scarborough and Ryedale CID, led the investigation into the assault and has provided support to Jamie’s parents throughout their ordeal.
He said: “This has been a truly horrendous experience for Jamie and especially for his parents who thought they were going to lose their son.
“No outcome at court will undo the devastation Johnson caused with one punch.”