The wife of a hero dad who was savagely battered by teenagers defending an 11-year-old boy in a park describes how he cannot talk or look after himself a year later due to his horrific head injuries. Alan Willson, 47, was attacked by three teenage boys last Easter Sunday after they began bullying a child in a row over a frisbee.
After three youngsters were jailed yesterday over the brutal assault, Alan's wife Annie told how his "life has completely gone" and that he is a "completely different man" after being beaten with a logs of wood. The vicious 'life-changing' attack happened in Longcroft Park in Worthing, West Sussex, at around 7.30pm on April 4 2021, when the defendants were aged 13, 14 and 17.
As a result, even more than a year later, Mr Willson can no longer tell his children he loves them or play football in the park due to his catastrophic brain injuries, Annie said. Granddad Mr Willson was also left blind in is left eye and with hearing problems after the assault and is "locked in a strange body he doesn't understand".
At Hove Crown Court yesterday, brothers George, 14, and Archie Tilley, 16, were jailed for nine years, while accomplice Harry Furlong, 18, was sent to prison for 20 months. Describing their life after the attack, Mrs Willson said after the sentencing: "Before this happened, Alan was the kindest man ever, his personality was amazing, he would make you laugh if he saw you were down.
"How he is now is hugely different. He cries a lot, you try and talk to him and involve him in conversation and he's like, 'I can't speak, I can't speak' and he just makes a noise. As far as his brain injuries are concerned, he just touches his head and he knows, he comprehends, but he can't verbalise anything, because his mouth won't work, the muscles won't work and the sound doesn't work.
"He can't write anything down, he can't watch telly for too long, there's too much going on - too many sounds, too many pictures. And he doesn't read because he can't. He can't have a conversation, his life is gone. He's a completely different man. The impact on the family has been massive. We have lived this past year without an 'I love you' without 'good night kids', without laughing and joking.
"It's shocking, the whole family has been through Hell and will continue to go through Hell forever. These boys have destroyed our family. They picked on the wrong one, they picked on a kind and gentle man."
Mrs Willson also made a heart-breaking plea for a medical expert to help her husband be able to talk again. She added: "There must be someone out there who can help him speak again, there must be some surgeon or somebody who can help him, because some days Alan doesn't want to be here anymore."
George and Archie Tilley were both classified as dangerous offenders by a judge and handed an extended three years on licence once their nine-year is served. Furlong was given a 20-month sentence, minus time already spent on remand and will serve half in custody and half on licence as he was not classified as 'dangerous'.
Furlong was acquitted of grievous bodily harm with intent but found guilty by a majority jury of grievous bodily harm without intent. Both Tilley brothers were found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent by a unanimous jury after a 14-day trial after all three denied the crimes.
As both brothers are under 18 they were only named following an application to the judge by the media. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Annie Willson told the defendants: "On April 4 2021, you destroyed my family and have broken us beyond repair. #
"I will never forget turning up in that park and seeing what you had done to my Alan. You took away a husband, father, granddad, brother, cousin, and uncle. Alan was the gentlest man who would help anyone at the drop of a hat, no questions asked. You attacked him as a group and did not stop until he was on the floor, bleeding and unconscious.
"Now, because of your actions, my husband cannot speak, cannot play with his children, cannot work and cannot control his body. He has no mental capacity, no vision in his left eye and has a massive brain injury from which he will never fully recover.
"He has hearing problems, dental problems, cannot toilet himself or take care of his personal hygiene. He is not the same man. He is locked in this strange body that he doesn’t understand. He will never again be able to enjoy the things he took so much pleasure in. He no longer says silly things to make us laugh. He no longer gives us hugs and cuddles that we used to enjoy so much.
"No sentence that you get will ever be long enough as it is Alan who has the life sentence together with myself and my family."
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Dunn, senior investigating officer for Sussex Police, described it as a "sickening and violent assault on an innocent man".
He said: "This was a sickening and violent assault on an innocent man, who had simply stepped in to help a young boy who was hurt and upset. The injuries Alan suffered showed this was a sustained and prolonged attack, and the impact of what happened that day will live with Alan and his family for the rest of their lives.
“I would like to thank Annie and the rest of Alan’s family for the bravery and dignity they have showed throughout this heart-breaking ordeal. I can only hope now the court case is behind them, that they are able to move forward and focus fully on Alan’s recovery.
“I’d also like to thank the team of investigators who worked so hard to build a strong case, and the witnesses who came forward to help us bring those responsible to justice.”
Chief Inspector Sarah Leadbeatter, district commander for Worthing, said the town has seen a string of problems caused by a small number of youths. She added: “I completely understand the shock and upset this horrific incident has caused, not only for those who know Alan but the wider community as well.
“I would like to reassure communities that we continue to do huge amounts of work in Worthing to try and tackle issues around youth violence and anti-social behaviour. It’s important to recognise that the problems we have seen in the local area are linked to a small cohort of young people, but it isn’t something that can be solved overnight, nor by one agency alone.
“It requires a partnership approach which we are heavily invested in and will continue to be a part of in the future. I want people to be safe but also feel safe in Worthing and therefore we will continue to have high visibility patrols in hot spot areas, dedicated policing operations focused on tackling youth violence and my neighbourhood policing teams will continue to engage with local communities to build on community intelligence and provide that reassurance.
“The level of violence and criminality we have seen in this case is completely unacceptable and it will not be tolerated and I need the community’s continued support to help us tackle this disruptive behaviour. If you are a victim of crime, or become aware of a crime happening, please report it to us. Every bit of information we receive helps paint a picture of what is happening in our community and puts us in a better position to respond and take positive action.”
