Man is charged over attack which nearly killed Blackpool dad-of-three on his own stag do

Scott Sutcliffe, 33, of Old House Lane, Blackpool, has been charged with wounding without intent (Sec 20).

He is due to appear at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on December 12.

What happened?

Lee Burns, 41, of Blackpool, was punched in the back of the head outside Boca Bar in Breck Road, Poulton in the early hours of Sunday, April 16, suffering a a fractured skull and two separate bleeds on the brain.

He had been at the Grand National earlier in the day, celebrating his stag do, and decided to carry on the celebrations in Poulton on the way home.

But celebrations turned into tragedy, and he ended up undergoing a three-hour operation on his skull and brain at the Royal Preston Hospital, before being placed into an induced coma for more than a week.

In total, he spent more than a month fighting for his life in the Royal Preston Hospital and Blackpool Victoria Hospital, with his family not knowing whether he would ever walk or talk again.

But through sheer determination and hard work, he is now preparing to marry his fiance Sara in a delayed ceremony next month.

To read more about the wedding, click here.

The couple, who have been together for 10 years, will be combining their surnames to become Mr and Mrs Smith-Burns, in an intimate ceremony at the Imperial Hotel, followed by a big party afterwards.

Sara said: “Getting married and then a New Year for us is a fresh start for us.”