A YOUNG mum was told this week that her partner has no hope of making a recovery following a brutal beating.

Claire Challinor, aged 21, was told the devastating news that 22-year-old Christopher Shaw is likely to remain unconscious indefinitely after battling for three weeks with serious head injuries.

Their five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son were taken to see their dad on Monday, in Warrington Hospital, for the first time since the attack.

Miss Challinor said: "My daughter was too frightened to stay in the hospital room as she couldn't recognise her dad. The hospital has told us that Chris will not make a recovery."

Mr Shaw suffered severe swelling and bleeding to the brain after he was found collapsed in Gerrard Avenue, Bewsey, on July 31.

Earlier, he had gone out for the evening with two friends, arriving at the Cross Bar pub at 4pm. His two friends stayed until 7pm and left him in the pub playing pool.

Police have called it a 'horrendous attack' and are still urging the public to come forward to help their investigation. A 21-year-old Warrington man and a 24-year-old Warrington woman have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries.

Mr Shaw's family have been left with the agonising decision of whether the hospital should continue giving him treatment. Miss Challinor visits her partner every day at hospital, receiving constant updates from doctors about his condition.

She added: "I can't believe this has happened to our family. It feels like it's happening to someone else. The children were only told this week about Chris and what happened."

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Guy Hindle said: "The whole family are absolutely stunned. The incident came totally out of the blue. Their life has been changed out of all recognition.

"This was an extremely vicious attack, so severe that Mr Shaw never regained consciousness. I hope this incident has shocked the community. If you know something, we really need to speak to you."

He added: "We have taken a huge amount of statements and are grateful to everyone who has assisted us so far. We have got a very narrow time frame, between 11.30pm-11.35pm, when we need to account for Chris's movements."

Anyone with information should telephone Warrington CID on 652222.