Brutal attack has left Dave Brown without sense of smell and taste

, damaged his eyesight

By SUZANNE ELSWORTH

CRYING SHAME

A MAN robbed of his ability to cry, smell or taste following a brutal assault has spoken out about his ordeal in a bid to catch his attackers.

Dave Brown, aged 24, was viciously beaten and left for dead in his flat at Birchwood YMCA on his birthday. He was only discovered 24 hours later after his mum, Bernadette, became concerned because no-one had seen him.

Bernadette says the thugs carried out a pre-meditated attack, which left little evidence for the police to go on.

"Whoever did this was very careful and very clever," she said.

"They knew what they were doing. They wore gloves so there were no fingerprints.

"Their intention was to kill Dave. They used a baseball bat to hit his head and kicked his face, but the rest of his body wasn't touched."

Police think it is likely that Dave knew his attackers as he had let them into his flat, but he has no memory of anything that happened.

"I had been to my mum's in Culcheth for lunch," he said. "I went back to the flat at around 3pm.

"Friends have said they came to see me that afternoon, but I can't remember anything. My consultant has said that I won't get any better and my memory won't come back."

Dave spent five weeks in a semi-conscious state in Warrington Hospital.

"They didn't think he would survive the night because he was so badly beaten," said mum Bernadette. "They said he would be brain-damaged because he was haemorrhaging."

The injuries have led to Dave losing his sense of smell and taste, damaged his eyesight and made him physically unable to cry. He was already epileptic, but his fits have worsened and are more prolonged and frequent. He has become a virtual recluse at his mother's home, rarely venturing out alone. Even catching a bus is a major challenge.

Three people were arrested following the attack in March but were later released without charge.

Officers are still searching for more clues and are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Detective Constable Gordon McGregor said: "Dave has been left with absolutely no memory of his ordeal.

"The investigation is on-going and we still want to hear from people who know anything about the attack."

If you have any information contact DC Jones or DS Geraint Jones in confidence on 652222.

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