Five men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering a man who was permanently damaged in the brain by an attack on his way home after a football match and died five years later.
Simon Dobbin was attacked in Southend, Essex after a match between Southend United and Cambridge United on March 21, 2015. The former RAF soldier died at the age of 48 on October 21, 2020.
Until the attack he had been working as a transportation manager for a fuel company. Dobbin’s family provided 24-hour care at his home in Mildenhall, Suffolk until his death.
Essex police said he began treating his death as a homicide after medical evidence showed a direct link between his death and the injuries he had suffered.
Five men, aged 30, 34, 39, 45 and 27, were arrested on Friday in South Essex, the force said. They are under arrest and are being questioned on suspicion of murder.
In November last year, police announced a £ 20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those directly responsible for Dobbin’s death.
Supervisor Stephen Jennings, of the Kent and Essex Directorate of Serious Crimes, said police had received more information and that “we have people who have come forward” after the appeal.
He said officers had analyzed evidence obtained in 2015 “with a fine-toothed comb” and reviewed information from a 2017 trial in which 13 men were convicted of their involvement in the attack.
Jennings said he could not comment on whether any of the five men arrested were among the 13 men convicted at the 2017 trial.
“Simon’s wife, Nicole, and his daughter, Emily, have kept up with our progress every step of the way,” Jennings said. “Simon was a completely innocent party in the mess that took place that day and his family has gone through an unimaginable time.
“The injuries Simon suffered that day not only changed his life, but also changed the lives of Nicole and Emily. As a team, we will do our best to ensure justice for Nicole’s family and friends. , Emily and Simon “.
He said that in addition to the five arrests, detectives also spoke to a number of people considered witnesses to collect their stories.
Nicole and Emily Dobbin spoke at a news conference last November as police announced the reward for the information that led to the arrest and conviction of those directly responsible for her death.
Nicole Dobbin said that “more than five of the most horrible years” had passed and that “now it hurts again” after Dobbin’s death. “Simon was 48 and really looking forward to it,” he said. “Now she can’t grow old with me or see her daughter get married and her grandchildren grow up. All these good memories that we could have made, stolen from us ”.
The family appeared in an episode of DIY SOS in 2019, with TV presenter Nick Knowles, interior designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen and a team of volunteers who spent nine days adapting the family home to better suit your needs.