A DAD left with horrific injuries after an unprovoked attack outside his home has described the moment he was brutally assaulted.

Lee Crane, aged 33, had to have part of his skull removed after being attacked by four men in the early hours of Saturday, April 2, at the corner of Starkie Road and Entwistle Street in Tonge Moor.

The savage beating left him suffering with memory loss, but he has now returned home and has made some recovery.

Mr Crane, who has a four-year-old daughter, Lyla, said: “I had been on a night out in Bolton with friends and we got split up, so I decided to walk home.

“I bumped into these lads and had a bit of a chat with them and there didn’t seem to be any threat at all.

“I came home, made a brew and went outside to get some air. As I sat down, they came around again and we were chatting, then one of them attacked me.

“I defended myself, and that’s when another one joined in and then a third one.

“A couple of punches were thrown and it seemed to be over and done with, then as I turned around one hit me again.

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“There was a bit more of a scuffle and my head hit the ground. At that point one of them stamped on my head and I remember them going for it again but I covered it with my hand.

“It was just a five-minute thing that happened because I bumped into the wrong people.

“I have been gradually improving over the last couple of months. There is no real pain, but I suffer with forgetfulness and with my moods.

“It is like I have to learn about my own history. I was struggling to remember names and how to do simple things like turning the cooker on.”

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Mr Crane, who has been told his job at Asda will be waiting for him when he is fit enough to return, is now preparing for years of recovery from his life-changing injuries.

His mum, Gwen, added: “There can be long-term brain damage that can take years to materialise.

“They are waiting six to 12 months before they can think about reconstruction, and once they put the plate in his head that could set him back again as the brain gets used to it.

“We can’t have his little girl stay here any more because he could struggle to deal with something if I’m not here.

“It’s not just him suffering, it’s also Lyla. We didn’t take her to visit him for a while because it would be too upsetting for her.

“If that neighbour had not rung the police when they did, he would not be here.

“It is a miracle that he is here now, it was touch and go when he had the operation and was then on life support.”