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Youth left nurse victim paralysed

24/12/2002

A 17-year-old youth from Chadderton has been sentenced to four and a half years following a serious assault of a 46-year-old nurse, also from Chadderton.

Andrew Walsh of Park Avenue admitted the assault at Manchester Crown Court following the early-hours incident in July.

The victim was walking home from the Blue Bell pub on Broadway when he was approached by the teenager in the subway under the Broadway roundabout. The nurse attempted to make light of this, but was wrestled to the ground where he was kicked in the head and face more than 15 times before his attacker left him unconscious.

He was found by two passers by and taken to Royal Oldham Hospital before being transferred to North Manchester General Hospital where he remained in a coma for two months. Even now the man has yet to fully recover.

He has undergone full facial reconstruction, but remains paralysed in one leg.

Following sentencing, Detective Constable Nick Derbyshire of Oldham CID said: "This was a brutal and vicious attack on a man who was making his way home from a night out. He suffered horrific injuries in the incident, which was totally unprovoked.

"Walsh represents a serious danger to the community and the public can be reassured now that he has been taken off the streets."