Chris Harris, a 40-year-old Merthyr Tydfil resident and father of three, had a permanent brain injury from a single punch outside of a pub. He now faces a lengthy recovery process. The incident happened outside the Vulcan Inn in the wee hours of May 2, 2022.
According to reports, Harris was struck by former professional boxer Daniel Gerrard. This is not Gerrard's first offence; he has a prior conviction for manslaughter in 2012, resulting from a fatal punch during another pub brawl. The force of Gerrard's blow rendered Harris unconscious.
Harris sustained a serious head injury, including a two-inch skull fracture and bleeding on the brain. He woke up a day later at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. The full extent of his recovery and the lasting effects of the brain injury remain unclear.
Describing the aftermath of the attack, Chris told WalesOnline: “I was woken up by my wife Lynsey, and she told me I had a massive brain injury and what happened. They'd operated fast and drilled my skull to release the pressure. I just broke down in tears. I thought my life was done. I had an hour to live basically before they operated."
“Lynsey told me that when she went home while I was being operated on, she didn't know if I would survive. I woke up after the operation in so much pain that I was crying throughout. I remained on the critical care ward for three days. Only three days later was I able to look at the scar on my head. It had 23 staples for that injury, and I was shocked by it. I stopped eating and lost a stone and a half in weight. When you go through something like that, you just think, ‘Wow. I've got three kids.' I just didn't know how we'd cope.”
Detective Constable Michael Snare commented, "Our thorough investigation showed at no time did Gerrard act in self-defence. All four men he violently assaulted did not pose any threat to him at the time he attacked them. Gerrard caused significant harm to these innocent bystanders."
The third victim suffered significant injuries having to undergo lifesaving surgery for a bleed to the brain. The other victims had a lump to the side of his head, and the first victim sustained stiches to his eyes, a broken nose and bruising and swelling to his face."
Gerrard from the Gurnos was sentenced to a total of four years imprisonment, with an extended licence of one year. While Jason Cox received a 12-month suspended sentence.
