'Justice hasn't been served': Anguish after brother’s one-punch death as attacker will serve less than 3 years

The sister of a man who died seven years after a one-punch attack said her family has not received justice as the attacker will serve less than three years in prison.

On a Saturday evening walking home from the pub in September 2015, Simon Hackett, 35, was punched by a stranger who knocked him to the ground. The thug, Jordan Docherty, then 20, caused Simon to suffer serious head injuries and brain damage as his head hit the ground.

After spending over a week in a medically-induced coma, Simon needed surgery to remove a portion of his skull to relieve the pressure from brain swelling. Scaffolder Simon was left unable to talk or walk ever again and spent the following years living in hospitals and care homes before passing away from complications linked to the attack in 2022, seven years on.

Docherty was sentenced to four years in a young offender institution in 2016 after pleading guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm, but he only served 18 months. After Simon's death, he was charged with manslaughter too, and this month he was sentenced to a further 15 months behind bars.

Younger sister Alicia Manners, 39, from Seacroft, Leeds, feels just 15 months in prison - compared to the seven years of suffering Simon and his family experienced as a result of his injuries - is "not justice".

Alicia said the entire family has been left devastated by the loss of Simon - who fathered a young daughter and was uncle to Alicia's two children. Describing the "special bond" she shared with Simon, she said she makes sure to talk about him frequently with her three children to make sure they never forget their uncle.

Alicia now visits schools to give anti-violence talks, sharing her story to raise awareness and encourage young people to think about their actions in the hopes of saving lives.

Alicia, who is an assistant principal in a secondary school, said: "I remember getting the call to say Simon was in hospital and when I got there, I was just shocked by what I saw. My big brother was unconscious with tubes everywhere, and a hole in his throat so he could breathe - I could barely recognise him.

"I was told there's a 95% chance he won't survive, and he did survive, but he was never the same again. He couldn't walk, talk, cough for himself, or go to the loo by himself.

"Him dying was tough but watching him live like that was worse. I tried not to, but I cried every time I saw him. I hope Docherty's life is ruined, because the attack ruined Simon's family, and I don't feel justice has been fully served.

"But now I want to raise awareness to reframe the tragedy by bringing something good out of something catastrophic. I feel I have a job to do."

In the early hours of 20 September 2015, Docherty attacked Simon and knocked him to the ground after chasing him.

Alicia said: "We don't know, but allegedly he had made a comment to Docherty's family member and they got upset. After Simon and his friend left, Docherty ran up the street and hit Simon, who fell to the floor."

Alicia got the devastating call that her brother was in a coma and rushed to see him.

Simon was a doting father to a young daughter with his ex-partner, and was a loving uncle to Alicia's children too - having bought her daughter a bike for her birthday not long before the attack.

Alicia said: "Simon was lovely, outgoing, and happy. He was six years older than me and he was more than just a brother to me.

"We have different dads, and I faced racial abuse growing up, and he was my protector. When I was bullied he would step in and tell them what for. He used to take me out with his mates on our bikes, and sit at the park with them. We had a bond that I don't think anyone else would understand."

Simon spent years between hospitals and a care home following the attack, but the family were told that he'd never be able to speak or walk again. Alicia would visit him in hospital and the care home and bring her children but over time his condition worsened.

In early 2022, Simon contracted bronchitis and pneumonia and as his condition continued to deteriorate, he was moved to palliative care before passing away on 8 April. In August 2022, Simon was laid to rest.

After his release from the young offenders institute for the attack on Simon, Docherty had gone on to punch another man, who was also left with similar life-changing injuries to Simon, and spent time behind bars for that too. This month Docherty, now 30, was handed a further 15 months in jail for manslaughter after he admitted his unlawful violence ultimately led to Simon's death.

Alicia said: "Simon was a scaffolder who liked to take care of himself, he loved fishing, he was fit and loved music. He loved his daughter and often took her fishing and horse-riding. She was his world and she adored him. He was so full of life. I strongly feel I wouldn't be the person I am today without him."

Now a mum-of-three, Alicia has reduced her work hours to allow one day a week to go and speak to children in schools about violence and the impacts of it. So far she has reached 18,000 students.

She said: "If I can change one child's mindset, then I've done something right.

“When it first happened, I thought Jordan [Docherty] didn't mean to do it, but then I found out that he made the choice to run after Simon. That was a poor choice, and my message to children I speak to now is that you always have a choice.

"Simon will not be forgotten as long as I am breathing."