Five people were arrested on suspicion of murder six years after a man died following a brutal attack by thugs.
Simon Dobbin, who used to live in Ormskirk and was a Liverpool FC fan who also supported Cambridge United, was viciously attacked after attending a Cambridge away match in March 2015. Following the attack, which left Mr Dobbin brain damaged and requiring around-the-clock care, a total of 13 people were convicted for their roles in the crime.
Mr Dobbin, at the age of 48, died in October 2020, leaving behind his wife Nicole and daughter Emily. Subsequent medical examinations found a causal link between his death and injuries sustained from the attack, EssexLive reports.
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On Friday morning Essex Police made a significant move to arrest five people - aged 30, 34, 39, 45 and 27 - on suspicion of murder. Later that day, Det Supt Jennings spoke about the progress police have made in the investigation, and what work still needs to happen.
Det Supt Jennings said: "We have analysed all the evidence and all the information we obtained in 2015, we looked at all the evidence following the prosecution of 13 men for violent disorder in 2017, and today, as a result of that, we have arrested five men on suspicion of murder.
"On that day, Simon's injuries and what took place for him not only affect him but affected his entire family. They have had to provide 24-hour care for him up until his sad death in 2020. I've kept in contact with Nicole and his daughter Emily throughout that time and updated them in terms of what has taken place today and the arrests that we have made.
"I want to give my personal assurance that we will continue to examine and identify all the evidence in relation to Simon's death, and my plea today is for anyone who has got any information who is either there present on the day in March 2015 or anyone who has any information on that injury since Simon's death to come forward.
"Not only have we arrested five people, we are seeing a number of other people in and around the Southend area who we believe could hold vital information to help us prosecute the people responsible for assaulting Simon. [The arrests] are a really significant milestone, because since Simon's death we first had to establish whether or not the assault had a contributory factor, and we now know that it did.
"We've looked at all the evidence, we got a transcript from the trial and pieced together everything all the witnesses said and made a decision that five people would be arrested on suspicion of murder. I feel this is a significant move and we do hope we can get enough evidence, to specifically identify who assaulted Simon, how they assaulted him and bring them to justice."
In November 2021, Essex Police and the charity Crimestoppers offered a huge £20,000 reward for any information that could lead to the prosecution of those responsible for killing Mr Dobbin. At the time, Nicole Dobbin, Simon's wife, described her husband as a "kind, caring and loving soul."
"To see such a strong personality and independent man beaten to the point he was unable to take care of himself, to communicate his own needs and wishes and to miss out on life as a whole was devastating,” she said. "Simon was the life and soul of any party, there was never a dark day when he was around. We lost part of him the day he was attacked but together we kept smiling and continued to give him the best life we could."
Det Supt Jennings said that since the appeal was made seven months ago there had been a "great response" from the public, but the case was far from over. He said: "As I stand here today this is not the end. This is still very much a live investigation, we've got people in custody, we will be interviewing them, we will be seeing other witnesses but we really do need people to come forward."
The police declined to comment on whether the people arrested on suspicion of Mr Dobbin's murder included any of the 13 men who were prosecuted in the original court case for violent disorder. However, the force praised Mr Dobbin's family for their courage throughout the proceedings.
Det Supt Jennings said: "They have been incredibly brave and have been incredibly supportive. We have kept in contact with them throughout this time from 2015 all the way through to now. What they have been through is just horrendous; having to care for Simon for all this time, and the amount of care he needed, 24-hour care.
"When he sadly died in October 2020 they then had to understand and realise there was a link between his death and the assault that took place brought back all those emotions that took place in 2015. I just think they're remarkable in what they have managed to do; keep themselves together, believe in Essex Police in that we will do everything we can to bring people to justice and I commend them for that."
Emphasising the importance of people coming forward despite the arrests, Det Supt Jennings added: "It's vitally important. This has been a long time since Simon was assaulted and some time since Simon passed away, but I cannot overemphasise that we still have got lots of work to do, we need to continue with our investigation, keep the momentum running, but what we need is the public to help us."
Contact Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. To be eligible for the £20,000 reward, you must report information to the charity Crimestoppers. If you contact them, you can remain 100% anonymous.
