Wife of brain-damaged man who suffered catastrophic injuries while defending a boy from being bullied says she wants to be the ‘first person’ his teen attacker sees when he walks free
- Alan Willson was battered with 3ft wooden log in park on Easter Sunday last year
- He suffered a shattered skull resulting in ‘significant life-changing brain injuries’
- Brothers George and Archie Tilley, then13 and 14, were both jailed for 12 years
- Harry Furlong, 18, was jailed for 20 months for his part in remorseless beating
- He may be released this month and Mr Willson’s wife Annie is asking to meet him
The wife of a care worker who was left permanently brain damaged when he was savagely beaten by a group of youths has vowed to be the first person one of his attackers sees when he is released from prison.
Alan Willson, 47, was battered with a 3ft wooden log in a park on Easter Sunday last year following a row over a frisbee at a park in Worthing, West Sussex.
He suffered a shattered skull resulting in ‘significant life-changing brain injuries’, along with lung trauma and broken bones when he ran to protect an 11-year-old schoolboy from being bullied.
Mr Willson now requires permanent care and has been left unable to speak or play with his children.
Teenage brothers George and Archie Tilley, 13 and 14 at the time, were jailed for 12 years following the attack described by a judge as ‘beyond the comprehension of most people’.
A third youth Harry Furlong, now 18, was jailed for 20 months for his part in the remorseless beating.
He is due to serve half of the sentence in custody, but could be released at the end of this month.
Mr Wilson’s wife Annie, 51, told The Mirror that she is determined to sit face-to-face with Furlong.
She now wants to see a change in the law around serious crimes committed by youths, including naming defendants in the media to serve as a deterrent.
Alan Willson (pictured with wife Annie) was battered with a 3ft wooden log in a park on Easter Sunday last year
Harry Furlong (pictured), now 18, was jailed for 20 months for his part in the remorseless beating
Teenage brothers George and Archie Tilley (pictured), 13 and 14 at the time of the attack, were jailed for 12 years following the attack
Mr Willson has been left unable to speak or play with his children following the savage beating last year
Under current law, a defendant is granted automatic anonymity until the age of 18 – unless a judge decides to lift the reporting restriction if they deem it is in the public interest to so.
Annie said: ‘When I sit and cry, and Alan sees my tears, he then begins to cry. But to get him to stop crying is a lot more effort than it is for me to stop.
‘So I try not to cry. I worship the ground he walks on. He was the nicest man ever. He still is. I miss his stupid sense of humour, his high-pitched laugh, his constant I-love-yous.
‘At the beginning, I was saying it would have been better if they had hit Alan one more time. Alan does not want to be a burden on anyone.’
Annie has asked Sussex Police for restorative justice, a scheme in which which brings those harmed by crime and those responsible it into communication.
Furlong has the option to refuse, but Annie says she will be outside the prison walls upon his release if he does.
She adds: ‘When he walks out that jail, I want to be the first thing he sees. I need to face him for my own peace of mind. No judge, no jury, just me and him.
‘I need that closure and to get all the truth out of him, as I’m sure he held things back. I can’t believe he could be getting out so soon. It’s sickening.’
She is now trying to gain closure following the horrific ordeal and has been to a police station to see the clothes her husband was wearing at the time of the attack – despite officers warning her that they are covered in blood.
A judge described the attack carried out by brothers Archie and George Tilley as ‘beyond the comprehension of most people’.
Archie (left) and George Tilley (right) were jailed for 12 years each earlier this year for the beating of Mr Willson
The Tilley brothers pictured outside court earlier this year. They re-enacted the horrific attack at a local train station following the ordeal
Mrs Wilson said she has ‘never seen so much blood’, but needed to see them for closure.
She also drove to Goring train station to stand on the platform where CCTV played to Lewes Crown Court showed the teenagers re-enacting the attack.
Mrs Wilson revealed she hugged Furlong’s mother following his sentencing in June, who apologised for what he had done.
She has had to quit her job to become a full-time carer for her husband.
Mr Willson was bleeding heavily from his ears and head when his wife found him lying on a park footpath near their home.
Mrs Willson was was told by doctors his injuries were catastrophic and they did not believe he would survive.
Furlong was convicted of grievous bodily harm by a majority of 11 to one. George and Archie Tilley were found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent by unanimous jury verdict
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: ‘This was a horrific crime and our sympathies remain with Mr Will son and his family.
‘Sentencing is a matter for independent judges and no decision has been made about whether Harry Furlong will be released on home detention curfew.
‘Those who are released face strict conditions which, if broken, can mean they are recalled to prison.’
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