A bride-to-be has issued an emotional appeal for information after her father was critically injured while attending her fiancé's stag do in Manchester. Gary, 58, from Somerset, was punched while trying to break up a fight in the early hours of Sunday and suffered a serious head injury. He remains in hospital unconscious.
His daughter Amie, who is due to get married in four weeks, said she has been unable to think about her wedding. 'I just want him to be able to walk me down the aisle,' she said. 'I'm devastated. I haven't even been able to think about our wedding but I just hope he will still be there to walk me down the aisle and it can still go ahead.'
Greater Manchester Police said Gary and his friends had travelled from Somerset for the stag do. They intervened in a fight involving around 15 people outside the Printworks around 02:00 GMT. It is believed Gary hit his head after being struck in the face. A second man in his 20s was also taken to hospital for treatment to cuts and bruises.
A 25-year-old man arrested on suspicion of affray has been released under investigation. A 32-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender has also been released under investigation. Detective Inspector Mark Davis said Gary was hurt at a time when 'a lot of people would be leaving bars and clubs'. He added: 'This should have been a celebratory night out ahead of one of the biggest moments of his life.'
Amie, who was at her hen do in Bristol when she received the news, described her father as 'the funniest and hardest-working man you could ever meet'. She is appealing for anyone with information to come forward to help police find the culprits.
