Two teens used pieces of wood to batter a retired police officer to within an inch of his life in an unprovoked attack as he went for a run.
David Browne had tried to stop the boys, then aged 15, from hassling another jogger on New Brighton Promenade early last year but was himself subjected to a horrendous assault.
Mr Browne stopped breathing in the moments after the attack, which saw the boys beat him repeatedly in front of horrified members of the public, and was left with brain damage.
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Liverpool Crown Court heard today that his injuries, described as potentially irreversible, had robbed him of the ability to do basic daily tasks. His wife told a judge their family’s lives had been changed forever.
The teenagers, who are due to be sentenced on Thursday, cannot be named for legal reasons and the ECHO refers to them in this article as Boy A and Boy B. Christopher Taylor, prosecuting, said Mr Browne was jogging on the promenade just before 7.30am on January 12 last year.
He said the retired Cheshire Police officer was familiar with the route, having taken it “thousands of times” as part of his regular exercise. But that day he saw Boy A and Boy B appearing to swing pieces of wood around as a young woman was moving past them near the Black Pearl pirate ship. In statements to police, the woman later described herself as having been "unnerved" by what they were doing - but she managed to get past and away.
Mr Browne said he was instantly concerned. He told police later that he recalled thinking they were a “pair of idiots” and went over to them. Mr Taylor said: “He thought ‘right, I need to stop them and challenge them’.”
He asked them what they were doing but they told him to “f*** off” and Mr Browne said he saw Boy A “moving on his toes, like when fighters do when the adrenaline gets going”. He said he then saw Boy B swing a piece of wood swing towards him out of the corner of his eye.
Both boys launched a vicious attack on him using the pieces of wood, hitting him repeatedly across his head and body. Mr Browne said he tried to avoid fighting back, later saying “I remember thinking ‘they’re kids’.” Moments later he was so badly injured he was unable to defend himself.
At this point, he was having trouble seeing because of repeated blows to his eyes. He struggled to a nearby bench - but the boys ran at him again with pieces of wood, throwing them at him. Mr Browne told police that as he drifted towards unconsciousness in the latter stages of the attack he heard one of the boys shout: “Let’s f***ing finish him off.”
Members of the public ran to his aid and police, who had already been called, arrived as Mr Browne lost consciousness, began fitting and then stopped breathing. He was put into the recovery position and his condition eventually stabilised.
He was taken to Aintree Hospital and put under observation, eventually returning home. However, he continued to live with a range of symptoms as a result of what doctors later diagnosed as a traumatic brain injury.
Mr Browne, who had been lecturing in cyber security at the University of Chester at the time of the incident, found he was unable to think clearly or carry out maths tasks. He then reported issues with his movement, a significant loss of memory and problems doing things like driving, which he had never previously struggled with. He has given up work and has found himself unable to carry on with many of the hobbies he had before.
Mr Browne's wife Julie, who is herself battling cancer, is now responsible for much of his care. In a moving statement to the court today, she said that while Mr Browne remained positive and committed about his recovery, there was little doubt that their day to day lives would be forever changed by his injuries.
Mrs Browne also said the incident continued to deeply impact their daughters, who were both extremely concerned for their father and regularly needed to come back from university to care for him. In an interview with police about how he would describe his condition, Mr Browne said: “I’m positive by nature. I fight for my health and so frustrated is a better word than sad - but when I am thinking of my family that makes me sad. I worry about them worrying about me.”
Both Boy A and Boy B initially denied wounding with intent but pleaded guilty before a trial at Liverpool Youth Court. Oliver Saddington, defending Boy A, said he was deeply remorseful for what he had done and wished to apologise for his role in the incident.
He presented letters from both Boy A and his parents addressed to Mr Browne. Speaking about the reaction of Boy A’s parents, Mr Saddington said: “He was raised much better than this offence belies. His parents are at a loss as to why their boy is before Your Honour.”
Christopher Macmaster, defending Boy B, said he too was deeply sorry for his actions and was at the time of the incident struggling with a troubled home life.
Neither Boy A nor Boy B had any previous convictions prior to the attack on Mr Browne. Judge Brian Cummings QC will pass sentence on the pair tomorrow.
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