An "amazing" dad was assaulted and left in intensive care after leaving the pub one Friday night.
John Barton, 36, was on his way home when he was brutally assaulted outside Champs, a pub in Ainsdale, on Friday, February 24. As a result of the assault, John was placed in an induced coma due to having two bleeds on the brain.
After three weeks, doctors were forced to withdraw medication when his organs started to shut down, with his three siblings and mum being told "he'll either wake up or he won't". Speaking to the ECHO, John's brother, Anthony, said he used to be "full of life" before the attack.
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He said: "He would do anything for anyone. Everyone would say the same thing about him. You could ring him any time and he would come to help you. He was an amazing dad, he would do anything for his daughter.."
John, who was a self-employed landscape gardener, now struggles to remember things that have happened earlier in the day and often complains to his family that no one visits him despite multiple visits a day.
Anthony said: "He's very forgetful, he doesn't understand that anything is wrong. He wants to go home but he can't understand why he can't. Every couple of days he takes a step forward but then he'll have a bad day. We've not had a chance to think about what's happened to be honest. There's no point in showing the devastation and upset, we just have to stay strong."
Speaking about the night the assault took place, Anthony, 27, said: "He went out on his own and he was on his way home then this happened. I got a call from his mate on the Friday night saying 'your John's on the floor'.
"I didn't even have time to process what was happening. I just got back from the gym, I'm normally asleep by that time but because I'd been to the gym I was dressed and had my shoes on so I jumped in the car. I only live a couple minutes away. I got there and waited for an ambulance with him."
The assault took place just one week before his daughter Harper's eighth birthday, with Anthony revealing that John thinks he's only been in the hospital for a couple of days.
Now, family friend and John's former boss, Paul Hodge, has set up a GoFundMe to try and raise as much money for John and his family as possible due to him being self-employed. Anthony said: "Our John worked for Paul a lot growing up and started when he left school.
"We're not the type of people to set something like this up and a few people had offered but we said no. Paul just did it off his own back and we really appreciate it."
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A Merseyside Police spokesperson told the ECHO on Saturday, February 25: "We can confirm that officers are on Liverpool Road in Southport after a man was attacked in the area last night (Friday 24 February). Just after 10.30pm, we received a report that a man was assaulted by another man outside a bar on Liverpool Road.
"The victim, a man in his 30s, was taken to hospital where he remains in a serious but stable condition. An investigation is underway and witness and CCTV enquiries are ongoing in the local area. A cordon is currently in place on Liverpool Road and Station Road whilst officers continue their enquiries.
"If you witnessed the attack, have any information, took photos of the incident on your mobile phone last night or have CCTV footage please contact police. Anyone who has information is asked to DM @MerPolCC or contact @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 23000162775."
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