Twelve men charged with manslaughter over death of football fan

Twelve men have been charged with manslaughter over the death of a football fan who died five years after he was assaulted on his way home from a match.

Cambridge United fan Simon Dobbin was attacked after watching his team play Southend United in Southend, Essex, on 21 March 2015. Violence broke out outside the Railway Tavern pub in Southend in March 2015.

The married father and former RAF serviceman was left permanently brain-damaged by the attack and died five years later, in October 2020, aged 48 Mr Dobbin's family provided him with 24-hour care at home in Mildenhall, Suffolk, until his death. Essex Police said on Wednesday that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had authorised manslaughter charges against 12 men.

The CPS said they were: Greg Allen, 37, of of Westcliff-on-Sea; Ryan Carter, 40, of HMP The Mount; Jamie Chambers, 33, of Southend-on-Sea; Lewis Courtnell, 43, of Leigh-on-Sea; Philip McGill, 40, of Westcliff-on-Sea; Scott Nicholls, 49, of Basildon; Matthew Petchey, 35, of Rochford; Rhys Pullen, 29, of Maldon; Thomas Randall, 31, of Leigh-on-Sea; Michael Shawyer, 40, of Leigh-on-Sea; Alexander Woods, 33, of Westcliff-on-Sea; and James Woods, 33, of Westcliff-on-Sea. Rebecca Mundy, deputy chief crown prosecutor, confirmed the charges and said: "Prosecutors in our Complex Casework Unit have worked closely with Essex Police to examine and review the material obtained from their investigations from both the incident itself and following the death of Mr Dobbin.

"We have established that there is sufficient evidence to charge 12 people with the offence of manslaughter and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings." Read more from Sky News:Woman who cut her girlfriend in half jailed for lifeCold weather health alert issued - as Met Office warns of snow Detective Superintendent Stephen Jennings of Essex Police said: "This is a significant milestone in an extremely complex investigation, and comes as the result of the professionalism, dedication and hard work from a team of highly skilled officers and staff. "Investigations such as these are challenging and can take time, it has required hundreds of hours of painstaking work to get to this stage." He added: "Simon's case is one that has evoked a great deal of emotion but I would ask people to be mindful about commentary to ensure those charged are able to have a fair trial.

"I want to thank Simon's family - his wife Nicole and daughter Emily - for their patience and unwavering support for our team." The men are due to appear before Colchester Magistrates' Court on 31 March..