Hull, York and Scarborough Hospitals helped Jamie Kelly

Jamie Kelly, 41, will never recover fully from what Daniel George Johnson, 32, did to him.

Here is his full statement as read at York Crown Court.

“Little did I know when waking on the 16 September 2021, that later that day my life and my son Jamie’s life was to change forever.

“I answered the door to an ex-neighbour called Adam who said that Jamie had been assaulted on Ramshill Road and the emergency ambulance was there.

“I rushed up to Ramshill Road but the ambulance had left to go to the hospital so therefore I got into my car and made my way to Scarborough A&E.

Scarborough Hospital

“On arrival at the hospital, I was asked to take a seat, and someone would come to see me.

“Eventually, after a couple of hours and several times asking for updates on my son’s condition, a policewoman came to see me and told me that the doctors were still working to save Jamie’s life.

“I was in a very dark place after being told Jamie was critically injured. My mind was in turmoil thinking of what could happen.

“After another long period of time a doctor took me through to where the crash team were still working very hard to save Jamie. It was then that the decision was taken to transfer Jamie to Hull Royal Infirmary in order to have a life-saving operation.

“As soon as I had enough information on Jamie’s condition, I called his mother to let her know what had happened and what the plan was to transfer Jamie.

“In order to minimise the shock news, I told her that our son was strong and that he was a fighter and would pull through this nightmare. I promised to keep her informed at all times as I had any news.

“Even at this point I was aware that it would be a long hard road for Jamie with both highs and lows.

“I travelled to Hull to be with Jamie and was told that, due to Covid, I was the only person who would be able to see Jamie. I called Jamie’s mam Brenda and told her this. She was distraught but I told her that I would keep her informed at every step.

“The neurologists at Hull operated on Jamie and had to remove the left side of his skull to be able to stop a severe bleed on the brain. The doctors kept me informed at all times and were honest with me how seriously ill Jamie was.

“I realised that I could lose my son at any time, but I kept my sanity by convincing myself that my son was a fighter and would pull through this nightmare.

“I had no respite from the sickly feeling that was with me day and night as a result of my poor son’s predicament.

“Jamie’s mam was distraught every time I rang her, but I tried my best to stay positive for her.

“I could only imagine the hell she was going through by not being able to see her son.

“I thanked God that I was able to see Jamie every day. It was a blessing really that Brenda did not have to go through the trauma of seeing Jamie on life support.

“As days turned into weeks with Jamie still in a critical condition, I was grasping at any straw to see improvements and on October 2nd Jamie briefly opened his eyes slightly, but it was enough to say that my prayers had been answered.

“Jamie at this point was on five different anti-seizure drugs along with other medications.

“Brenda was thrilled when I called her with the news that our son had opened his eyes briefly.

“It was days before Jamie opened his eyes again - October 20th. From this point things started to improve with Jamie following orders off the doctors and nurses to nod, open his eyes and to put out his tongue.

“This was a fantastic step forward in his recovery. I drove to Hull Royal every single day apart from one day when my car broke down half-way to Hull. I had to get the car recovered to Scarborough where my regular garage worked on my car and fixed it for the next day.

“It is hard to explain but I felt so guilty not being able to see my son when I felt he needed me. It was strange how much I missed him for that one day.

“The medical staff at Hull were absolutely amazing and had saved my son’s life numerous times and I couldn’t thank them enough. The doctors told me that they had done all they could at Hull and Jamie was to be transferred to Scarborough Hospital on 3 November.

“There was a massive drawback to this move as I was unable to visit Jamie due to Covid on the ward.

“Thankfully after only four days in Scarborough, the doctors realised that Jamie was still in need of specialist treatment and he was transferred to York Hospital on 7 November and the bonus was that I could start to visit my son again.

York Hospital

“York Hospital also allowed Brenda to visit Jamie and she was absolutely thrilled to be able to see her son at last, but Jamie’s sister Michelle was still not allowed to visit.

“I had to forewarn Brenda that she would probably be shocked seeing her son with half his skull missing and having had a tracheostomy fitted.

“She told me that she had managed to keep it together during that first visit but had broken down when she had left.

“At this point Jamie was still not fully awake due to the amount of medication that he was on.

“For both of us it was magical when he was opening his eyes briefly and he knew that we were there for him.

“Jamie was improving every day and on 9 December Jamie was fully awake and had the tracheostomy removed and was actually talking.

“It was amazing how quickly Jamie had improved.

“It wasn’t long before Jamie was on soft foods and then subsequently normal food.

“From day one Jamie had to be fed via a tube in his nose down into his stomach, so this was another giant step forward.

“He improved that much that the staff would put Jamie into a wheelchair, and I was able to take him off the ward and go for a walk outside.

“You could see in his face how good this was for his mental wellbeing and, indeed, on the 20th of January 2022, Jamie was transferred to the Woodlands Neurological Rehabilitation Centre in York.

“At last, I felt that we had turned a corner in Jamie’s recovery and the constant feeling of dread was slowly slipping away.

“Jamie still has a long way to go, and we still don’t know if he will make a full recovery or have side any effects.

“Thanks to the dedication of staff at both Hull and York hospitals, we still have our son, and we can face the future and cross any bridges as problems occur.

“As I knew that this was going to be a long haul, I have taken note of the mileage and cost of the travel which is to date 9th February 2022: 9,200 miles at a cost in fuel of £1,200.

“I strongly feel that the person who has caused the heartache this family has gone through for so long should be made aware of this.

“In conclusion, I feel that everyone should be made aware of exactly where Jamie is on his struggle for recovery.

“Jamie still cannot get out of bed and into the wheelchair by himself.

“He still cannot dress or shower himself and go to the toilet himself.

“It is very hard to accept for Jamie as he is a proud man and desperate for independence.

“The injury to Jamie’s brain has resulted in his body being racked with severe shakes, so much so that he cannot feed himself without his meal being thrown off the fork or spoon.

“I have also had to purchase special cups to allow Jamie to have a drink without soaking his clothes.

“The hospital disabled cups were not suitable as the contents were still being thrown all over as his shakes are that severe.

“He also cannot grip anything and is constantly dropping things.

“At times Jamie gets very confused. His eyes have been severely affected and are now in the corner of the eye socket.

“Jamie is not able to focus on anything and is now suffering severe double vision.

“Jamie’s skull flap has still not been replaced and doctors can’t say when it can be fitted.

“It is also possible that it can’t be replaced, and he might have to have a titanium plate fitted instead.

“With no skull flap to hold it, Jamie’s scalp has dropped that much half of his head is missing. He now has to wear a special padded cap whenever he is moved.

“Myself and Jamie’s mam Brenda, sister Michelle and the rest of our family, will be eternally grateful to the doctors and nurses of the National Health Service for saving his life on many occasions.

“It is heart-breaking to see my son struggle so hard to have some quality of life and, indeed, we don’t know what the extent of his recovery will be.

“What we do know is that Jamie will have to live with this for the rest of his life, as will we.

“Although the person who assaulted Jamie has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, Jamie’s injuries are no less, and I pray that the justice system will take this into account.”

Read how the justice system deal with Daniel Johnson here