Russian thugs’ sick chant as they spat on England fan left in a coma
Dad of one battered with a bar or hammer amid riots in Marseille
RUSSIAN hooligans shouted “Die, die, die” and spat at innocent England fan Andrew Bache as he lay unconscious while a cop gave him CPR.
The dad of one was battered up to five times with an iron bar or hammer ahead of England’s Euro 2016 opening clash in Marseille.
He had tried to run but the mob caught him, beat him and left him for dead. Fan Craig Lyons ran to his aid as up to 400 thugs swarmed the French city on Saturday lunchtime.
Tesco delivery driver Andrew, nicknamed Pepe, was in a serious condition in a coma in hospital last night.
His brother Dean, 53, and son Harry, 26, flew in to be at his bedside. Docs fear the epileptic Portsmouth fan may be left with brain injuries.
Teetotal baker Craig, 41, said: “He wasn’t breathing. There were 30 riot police doing nothing. I got in their faces and said, ‘He is dying’. One got a conscience and gave him CPR.”
Craig, of Bourne, Lincs, added: “But two Russian fans came over, spat at him and said, ‘Die, die, die’ in English.”
Andrew’s son Harry, 26, was in Australia when told about his dad. He said: “He’s 51 and no hooligan. What sort of person does something like that to another human?”
RELATED STORIES
Home Secretary Theresa May said the fans “bear a heavy responsibility for the violence”.
But Russian MP Igor Lebedev tweeted: “Well done fighting fans, keep it up.”
Six other Brits were in hospital but none was seriously hurt.
Nurse yob
A PSYCHIATRIC nurse was among six England fans jailed over hooliganism in Marseille.
Iain Hepworth, 41, got a three-month sentence for throwing a bottle at police.
The university-educated Trafford NHS Trust nurse, of Manchester, told the court: “My job is to help people. I did something stupid.”
Ashley Kelly, 26, also got three months. Alex Booth, 22, and Steven Cornell, 28, were jailed for two months. Lee Phillips, 23, and Paul Jackson, 22, got a month each.
Fatal fall
A NORTHERN Ireland fan became the first fatality of Euro 2016 yesterday after falling off promenade railings in Nice.
Darren Rodgers, 25, of Ballymena, had been drinking heavily when he fell 26ft on to the rocky beach and hit his head before Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Poland, police said.
He died in hospital from head injuries.
The tragedy happened near the scene of fights between Irish fans and local youths but Darren had not been involved.