Chris Harris, a 40-year-old Merthyr Tydfil resident and father of three, suffered permanent brain injuries after being punched outside a pub. He now faces a long recovery process. The incident took place outside the Vulcan Inn on the morning of May 2, 2022.
According to reports, Harris was hit by former professional boxer Daniel Gerrard. This is not Gerrard’s first offence; he has previously been convicted of manslaughter for a fatal punch during another pub brawl in 2012. Harris was knocked unconscious by the force of Gerrard’s blow.
Harris suffered serious head injuries, including a two-inch skull fracture and bleeding on the brain. He recovered 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 are still unclear.
Describing the situation after the attack, Chris said, WalesOnline: “My wife Linsey woke me up and told me I had a massive brain injury and what had happened. They operated quickly and drilled a hole in my skull to relieve the pressure. I burst into tears. I thought my life was over. I only had an hour to live before the operation.”
“Lynsey told me that when she went home from the operation, she didn’t know if I was going to survive. I woke up in so much pain after the operation that I was crying the whole time. I was in the critical care ward for three days. It was only three days later that I could see the scar on my head. There were 23 staples for the injury, and I was shocked by it. I stopped eating and I lost a stone and a half in weight. When you go through something like that, you just think, ‘Wow. I have three kids.’ I didn’t know how we were going to cope.”
Detective Constable Michael Snear commented, “Our thorough investigation revealed that Gerrard never acted in self-defence. The four people he violently attacked were not a threat to him when he attacked them. Gerrard caused great harm to these innocent people.”
The third victim suffered serious injuries which required him to undergo life-saving surgery due to bleeding on the brain. The other victims had lumps on one side of their heads, and the first victim had stitches in his eye, a broken nose and bruising and swelling to his face.”
Gerard, from Gurnos, was sentenced to a total of four years in prison, including a one-year probationary period, while Jason Cox received a 12-month suspended sentence.
