Scarborough man is jailed for two years for one punch which left his victim with half his skull missing and unable to feed, dress or shower himself

A mother recalls the horrific moment she heard that the life of her son and family had been changed forever - thanks to just one punch.

Jamie Kelly, now 41, cannot feed himself without throwing his food off his fork, he can't get out of bed by himself, he can't dress or shower himself or go to the toilet himself.

He has had half his skull removed and will likely require specialist care for the rest of his life.

It is all the result of one punch and, today (Monday), a man from North Yorkshire is starting a jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to Section 20 grievous bodily harm.

Daniel George Johnson, aged 32, of Cromwell Terrace, Scarborough has been sentenced to two years and five months’ in prison after the court heard that at exactly 1.28pm on Wednesday September 16 last year, Johnson punched Mr Kelly in the head while they were near a pedestrian crossing on Ramshill Road in the town centre.

He fell to the ground and hit his head as a result.

Following the court hearing, North Yorkshire Police released a series of shocking images that show the attack - and the aftermath as Mr Kelly lies in his hospital bed and starts the long road to recovery.

His parents have also told how their lives have been changed forever. Mr Kelly's father, Michael, drove 9,000 miles miles while visiting his son every day in hospital as medics at Hull Royal Infirmary worked to save his life.

His mother Brenda, who lives in County Durham, recalls the phone call which gave her the devastating news.

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 heart-breaking in itself, but never in a million years do you think it would happen to your family, especially your child.

“He needed to be put in an induced coma for his own safety - he was in a critical condition. I was an emotional mess on the phone, all I could imagine was that Jamie wasn't going to wake up and that I might never see my son alive again."

Covid regulations meant he could only have one visitor so, with his father living nearer in Scarborough, it was eight weeks before Brenda would see her son again - on a high dependency unit at York General Hospital.

Brenda said: "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. Looking at my boy so helpless was extremely emotional, the tears running down my face wouldn't stop.

“I was happy to see Jamie but that was over-shadowed by the heartache we were going though as a family. What our family has gone though, and is still going through, is senseless. This is all because one so-called man thought that violence was OK."

Although Mr Kelly has now started to show signs of recovery there is still a long journey ahead of him and his father, Michael issued the following statement to make people aware of the consequences just one moment can have.

He said: "I strongly feel that the person who has caused the heartache this family has gone through for so long should be made aware of this. I feel that everyone should be made aware of exactly where Jamie is on his struggle for recovery.

“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 that he cannot feed himself without his meal being thrown off the fork or spoon. I have also had to purchase special cups to allow Jamie to have a drink without soaking his clothes.

"“It is heart-breaking to see my son struggle so hard to have some quality of life and, indeed, we don’t know what the extent of his recovery will be."

Det Con Peter Day, of Scarborough and Ryedale CID, led the investigation into the assault.

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 that Johnson caused with one punch.

“The victim personal statements of Jamie’s parents were read out in court during the sentencing. Brenda and Michael have given their blessing for North Yorkshire Police to publish the statements to show the full catastrophic impact this one punch attack has had. I urge people to read them and make sure younger members of the family learn from this case.”