. Kieran Lofthouse's family describes him as a "loving, laid-back and caring" man dedicated to both his work and his family. However, on July 8th, 2018, everything for 25-year-old Kieran and his families dramatically changed. Kieran was unfortunately involved in a life-changing one punch assault.

On July 8th, 2018, Kieran had been waiting for a taxi home. After quickly visiting a shop to buy a packet of cigarettes, Kieran was confronted by an unfamiliar and unfriendly man who was hostile and menacing towards Kieran and his then girlfriend. As the two began to feel uneasy by the strange man’s presence, Kieran and his then girlfriend began to head home. This provoked the proffesional former-rugby player Matt Crosscombe to brutally assault Kieran, punching him from behind, with one blow to the head. The blow to the head was described as a “wooden bat hitting a cricket ball”,Which has left him with this..

Kieran sustained life-threatening injuries in this brutal street attack. The ambulance declared Kieran as in critical condition and he was rushed to Derriford hospital with a police escort. Kieran suffered a mass bleed to the brain, a fractured skull from front to the back of the skull, a broken jaw and 90% of the tendons and ligaments in his arm had been torn. The hospital told his family that it was very unlikely Kieran would survive. Kieran died three times as a result of this unprovoked brutal attack. After a 9 hour long operation on his skull, Kieran remained in intensive care. In total, Kieran required three major operations after being left for dead. Kieran remained in the hospital for several days.

Matt Crosscombe was sentenced to 4 years in prison but will be released in October 2020 on licence. While he can go about and forget what mindless act he committed, for kieran it will always affect his life and it’s kieran who has a life sentence now.

As a result of his extensive injuries, Kieran was deemed unfit to work. Kieran required constant help from his family members to complete basic tasks such as eating and drinking and spent two weeks in a wheelchair. Consequently, Kieran was presented with the appropriate benefits to support him through his recovery. Despite this, his family has spent an estimated £14,000-£15,000 on helping Kieran through this hard time by spend savings or getting loans. This money was used for important and unavoidable expenses. The family are beginning to think about seeking the help of a private psychiatrist to help Kieran through a battle with mental illness as a result of the attack. Kieran has been diagnosed with PTSD, depression, anxiety and fatigue since the incident. His family says that Kieran’s ongoing struggle with his mental health has transformed him into a “lost and withdrawn man” and “more of a recluse”. His anxiety and fear rips through him just having anyone standing behind him.These illnesses are a direct consequence of what was an unfair and unexpected attack on an innocent family man.

Fast-forward to December 2019, Kieran has made a remarkable (but by no means full) physical recovery, and is now rehabiliting back at work. Kieran and his family are thankful that he is still alive despite all odds. However, the family has since been faced with another problem. Kieran has recently been informed that he owes benefits overpayment due to have been put on the wrong benefit. Kieran's family has appealed this debt three times but all requests have been denied. Feeling desperate and determined to help her son, Kieran's mother reached out to local MP who had a response admitting that it was there error and made the decision to retract the demand for repayment but only on some amount of money. However, some benefits still now have to be paid back and owing. Kieran's family is now reaching out to the public to help them to repay this debt and put an end to this seemingly endless nightmare.

Kieran's family has already been forced to pay thousands to help support their son. Kieran cannot afford to pay the final notice and his family fears that the debt-induced stress will hinder his mental state and potentially undo any progress Kieran has made. The damage to Kieran’s frontal lobe has affected his personality, making any feeling of emotion heightened. The family fears that any heightened feelings of fear, hopelessness, stress, etc as a result of this debt will negatively impact Kieran’s physical and mental recovery and put more of a strain on Kieran and his family. Kieran’s family hopes that the payment of this debt will alleviate stress from Kieran and help him to return to a ‘normal’ and happier life. Kieran has already been made a victim of a brutal, terrifying and unjust attack and does not deserve to suffer any more than he already has. Please help Kieran and his family in their attempt to cope with what is an unfair and difficult situation.

Do you not feel that this family as had enough struggles without more??

Please help so the family can concentrate on caring and making life easier for kieran.

To find out more about Kieran’s struggle: https://www.devonlive.com/news/mans-heartbreaking-story-how-one-2469935