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A father of three who was severely disabled after being attacked by a gang of soccer hooligans died at his home today, more than five years after the unprovoked attack.
Simon Dobbin, 48, was beaten and ‘kicked like a soccer ball’ after going to watch Cambridge United play at Southend United in Essex in a brutal 90-second round.
Mildenhall Suffolk football fan who served in the Royal Air Force suffered permanent brain damage and was severely disabled from the March 2015 attack.
Dobbin’s ordeal touched the nation when his home was transformed by a team led by Nick Knowles on the BBC’s DIY SOS: The Big Build in January 2019.
The episode saw an army of volunteers help make his home more suitable for his needs, after he was left requiring 24-hour care after the assault.
Today, his widow Nicole, 48, said he had been “as always, laughing and smiling the day before,” adding that his death was a shock to her and her daughter Emily.
She told ITV Anglia: ‘Today I lost my gentle giant, words cannot express the loss I am feeling.
I am thankful for the fantastic memories I have, he fought so hard to be with his family.
“Sadly, his heart was not strong enough, but now he is at peace and will be forever in my heart.”
Essex Police said they will now ‘review’ their initial investigation while discussions continue on whether further charges need to be brought against the attackers.
Twelve men were jailed in 2017, but all have since been released.
Simon Dobbin, a Cambridge United fan, pictured with his wife Nicole. He died today at age 48
Dobbin is pictured (center) with Cambridge fans at Southend United’s Roots Hall in 2015
Dobbin is pictured in the hospital at DIY SOS in January 2019 after brain damage
Dobbin’s house was transformed by a DIY SOS team, providing him with his own bedroom for the first time in three years. Above: The back garden before the transformation.
After: As part of the transformation led by Nick Knowles, large glass doors were added to the property and the garden was modernized so the family could get out and enjoy the space.
Essex Police Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Jennings said today: “Our thoughts go out to Simon’s family and friends at this very difficult time. We will review the initial investigation to establish if we need to take any further action. ‘
In July 2017, the Basildon Crown Court convicted 13 men for the attack. Nine men were convicted of violent disorder, three of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and one of helping a criminal.
The 12 men jailed for brutal attack
Nine men jailed for violent disorder:
Five years for Ryan Carter, 21, of Southend-on-Sea
Four years for Jamie Chambers, 24, of Southend-on-Sea
Ryan Carter (left) and James Chambers
Three and a half years for Lewis Courtnell, 34, of Southend-on-Sea
Three and a half years for Scott Nicholls, 40, of Basildon
Lewis Courtnell (left) and Scott Nicolls
Three and a half years for Matthew Petchey, 26, of Rochford
Sixteen months for Rhys Pullen, 21, of Wickford
Matthew Petchey (left) and Rhys Pullen
Five years for Thomas Randall, 22, of Southend-on-Sea
Five years for Alexander Woods, 25, of Westcliff-on-Sea
Three years for James Woods, 25, of Westcliff-on-Sea
Three men jailed for conspiracy to commit violent disorder:
Three years for Greg Allen, 29, of Westcliff-on-Sea
Three years for Phil McGill, 32, of Westcliff-on-Sea
Two and a half years for Michael Shawyer, 31, of Leigh-on-Sea
Three of the men were jailed for five years for violent disorder. Mr. Dobbin attended court for sentencing, but had to leave the room when upset.
In July, one of his attackers, Jamie Chambers, 27, was called to prison after admitting threatening behavior and property damage while he was not licensed.
Today, a Cambridge United spokesperson said: ‘It is with great regret that Cambridge United can confirm that we have received the devastating news that Simon Dobbin sadly passed away at home this morning. Sweet dreams Simon. Forever to U.
‘Everyone’s thoughts at Cambridge United are with his wife Nicole, daughter Emily, and his closest family and friends. We ask fans to leave their messages of condolence for Simon’s family at this difficult time. Rest in peace, Simon.
Also reacting to her death today was Southend United fan and singer Alison Moyet, who tweeted: ‘As a SUFC fan and musician for whom Shrimpers Club was my springboard, this news turns my stomach.
‘A precious life that became a criminal and that crime that happens in our salmon stream. Ashamed.’
In February, Ms Dobbin revealed that all the ‘monsters’ who attacked her husband were already back on the street after being released from prison.
She told the Daily Mirror: ‘It feels like a slap in the face. Every time I look at Simon, I can see the damage they caused him. They are monsters. They gave no consideration to what they were doing. ‘
Mr Dobbin was on his way home after watching Cambridge play Southend when rival supporters stormed out of the Railway Tavern pub near Prittlewell train station and “jumped on” a group of Cambridge fanatics.
A witness, speaking after the attack, said rival fans only used [Mr Dobbin] like a soccer ball, ‘and said he was saved by a friend who jumped on him.
Mr. Dobbin suffered brain damage, damaged hips, broken ribs and a broken nose during the attack and spent more than three weeks on life support.
Judge David Pugh handed down sentences to 12 of the 13 men convicted of crimes in the Simon Dobbin case.
Three of the men were jailed for five years, the maximum possible sentence for the crime of committing a violent disorder, with sentences of varying lengths for the others.
The shortest sentence, 16 months, was for Rhys Pullen, who admitted to the violent disorder charge earlier in the process.
A thirteenth man, Ian Young, was convicted of aiding the criminals by hiding them. They gave him a suspended sentence one month after the other sentences.
Ms. Dobbin demanded a ‘Simon’s Law’ to give harsher sentences to serious bullies in light of her husband’s attack.
Describing the proposed changes to ‘Simon’s Law’, he wrote on a petition page: ‘How can someone be brain-dead for seven minutes and this is violent public disorder? The law must change in these cases and a higher sentence must be imposed.
“I want the government to put Simon’s Law into practice. Simon’s law will state that if an individual is charged with and found guilty of a violent public disorder causing harm to anyone else, then a percentage of earnings is taken from him through employment or benefits and returned to our NHS for the rest of his lives. ‘
At DIY SOS, more than 900 volunteers stepped up to help transform the house where Mr. Dobbin slept in the living room and only had access to bathrooms in bed.
Mr Dobbin is pictured with his daughter Emily (left) and his wife Nicole at Cambridge United FC
Ms. Dobbin thanks the DIY SOS team for their work during the January 2019 episode.
Photo before the attack: Mr Dobbin, of Mildenhall in Suffolk, with his wife Nicole, 48
Her daughter Emily was revealed to be studying to be a paramedic and said her life had changed enormously since the attack.
She told the show: ‘We were always away from home. We would go to Felixstow and take the dog; it was him and me.
I miss talking to him. We haven’t had a conversation. I remember he hugged me and hugged me, I miss him.
‘It’s just trapped in her body. It’s hard. When I walk into the room, I see him smile, so I know he’s happy to be around. I speak to him as if it were normal.
“I want the future to be easier for Mom and Dad, something worth living for, for Dad. Everything we can do to help you.
Cambridge United fans to applaud Mr Dobbin at the football club’s Abbey Stadium
Mr. Dobbin shows up at the hospital. A court convicted 13 men for their role in the 2015 attack
Police at the scene of the attack in Southend outside the Railway Tavern pub in town
The team was denied council permission for an extension, so the house had to be gutted first with internal walls and a chimney had to be removed.
The changes they made improved the lives of the entire family, including Mr. Dobbin, who was able to shower in a wet room.
Ms. Dobbin said her goal was to make sure he had the “best life” that she can give him. She told the show: ‘I don’t know how I would have lived without him. I’d rather have it as it is before anything else.
She added: ‘The changes that DIY SOS made around the house have made life so much easier for all of us.’
