An Essex man who helped to hide a group of men involved in an “unprovoked, savage attack” which left a Suffolk man unable to walk or talk has been handed a suspended prison term.
Cambridge United fan Simon Dobbin, 45 and from Mildenhall, suffered permanent and life-changing brain damage after he was set upon as he walked to Prittlewell station in Southend following his team’s 0-0 away result against Southend United on March 21, 2015.
Basildon Crown Court convicted 13 men of involvement in the attack, with 12 of them sentenced last month.
The 13th defendant, 41-year-old Ian Young, was cleared of conspiracy to commit violent disorder but found guilty of assisting an offender by hiding the group while police were carrying out a search.
Young, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff, was sentenced today to a suspended 18-month prison sentence, Essex Police said.
The jail term was suspended for 24 months.
He must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work.
Young was sentenced to a suspended 14-month jail term for assisting an offender, and a suspended four-month term to run consecutively for admitting a separate charge of possessing pepper spray, which is a prohibited weapon.
Police said around 24 people had set upon Mr Dobbin and a small group of away fans ambushed by the mob, though they remain unaware of who was responsible for the most devastating blows.
Mr Dobbin spent months in hospital and returned home in March 2016 but needs 24-hour care and is unable to walk or talk.
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