Simon Dobbin assault: Thirteen men face charges
Thirteen men are to face charges in connection with an attack that left a football fan with brain damage.
Cambridge United supporter Simon Dobbin, 44, from Mildenhall, Suffolk, was injured in an assault in Southend in March 2015.
One man has been charged with affray and a further 11 have been summoned to face the same charge at Southend Magistrates' Court on 2 September.
Another man faces charges of assisting an offender and possession of a weapon.
Mr Dobbin was among a small group of supporters who were assaulted outside The Railway pub in East Street, Southend, at about 21.15 GMT on 21 March last year.
He was making his way home from Southend's Roots Hall stadium at the time.
He is still undergoing rehabilitation.
Essex Police described the case as a "thorough and complex investigation" and said enquiries were continuing.
Ryan Carter, 20, from York Road in Southend, has been charged with affray.
The eleven others summoned to face the same charge in court are:
- Lewis Courtnell, 33, of Stadium Road, Southend
- Jamie Chambers, 22, of Coleman Street, Southend
- Thomas Randall, 21, of Seaforth Avenue, Southend
- Michael Shawyer, 30, of Belgrave Road, Leigh-on-Sea
- Matthew Petchey, 24, of Lascelles Gardens, Rochford
- Alexander Woods, 24, of Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff
- Philip McGill, 31, of Hornby Avenue, Westcliff
- Greg Allen, 28, of Artillery Avenue, Shoeburyness
- Rhys Pullen, 20, of Bridge Road, Wickford
- James Woods, 24, of Fairmead Avenue, Westcliff
- Scott Nicholls, 40, of Sherwood Close, Langdon Hill
Ian Young, 40, of Brightwell Avenue, Westcliff, has been summoned to face charges of assisting an offender and possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid or gas or an electrical incapacitation device.
All 13 will appear before magistrates in Southend in September.