Wife makes emotional plea after assault on husband

Christopher Malt, 46, was severely beaten after a night out in Yarm with colleagues on July 21.

He was so badly punched, his brain lurched forward in his head, leaving him with three bruises to the brain.

Seven people, three from Darlington and four from South Shields, were arrested at the beginning of this month on suspicion of the attack, but released on police bail, pending further inquiries.

The father-of-two, from Hartlepool, has been lying semi-conscious in hospital for three weeks.

He is just recovering from a bout of pneumonia, and his family are keeping a daily vigil by his bed in the hope that his injuries will not leave him paralysed or brain-damaged.

Mr Malt's wife Susan, 43, has made an emotional plea for witnesses to come forward.

She said: "The people who did this to him have ruined his life. He may never work again."

Mr Malt, a security guard at Teesside Park, had gone to help a man being threatened near Yarm's town hall when he was beaten.

His wife of 19 years said yesterday: "I knew something was going to happen that night. It makes me angry that weak people have done this to him.

"I wish someone could come forward and be honest about what has happened. I just don't want the same thing to happen to somebody else."

She described Mr Malt, who served in the Green Howards Regiment for 13 years, as being a kind, funny family-man who was well liked at work.

The couple have two daughters, Jennifer, 18, and Linda, 13.

The family moved from Grangetown, Middlesbrough, to Hartlepool several years ago.

Mrs Malt said: "We just want him back as he was, but there is no chance of that. I don't want his personality to change, but the doctors have told us it is probably going to change in some way."

Anyone who saw anything at about 11.30pm, on Saturday, July 21, near Yarm Town Hall, should contact Cleveland Police on (01642) 326326.