Eight years ago, one punch turned Jake Andrews’ life upside down.
The victim of the attack was Jake’s dad, Alan. He was hit in the back of the head during a night out in Manchester.
Alan was already going through a tough time before the assault. He had begun drinking heavily to cope with the pain of losing his wife, Nicola, to cancer in 2016.
Alan was having a cigarette outside a former popular nightclub, Neighbourhood, when he was knocked out cold by a man who he had been in an ‘altercation’ with earlier that night.
He was left on the floor for ten minutes after the blow, blood seeping from his head. He went on to suffer a stroke and a spinal injury, leaving him in a wheelchair.
Months later, in February 2018, he took his own life at just 46-years-old.
The NHS Choices website lists the following helplines and support networks for people to talk to.
- Samaritans (116 123 in UK and Ireland) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org.
- Childline (0800 1111) runs a helpline for children and young people in the UK. Calls are free and the number won’t show up on your phone bill.
- PAPYRUS (0800 068 41 41) is a voluntary organisation supporting teenagers and young adults who are feeling suicidal.
- Mind (0300 123 3393) is a charity based in England providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
- Students Against Depression is a website for students who are depressed, have a low mood or are having suicidal thoughts.
- Bullying UK is a website for both children and adults affected by bullying.
- If U Care Share is a suicide prevention and postvention support charity. For free confidential text support text IUCS to 85258.
- James’ Place provide free, life-saving treatment for suicidal men, and those identifying as male. Men can refer themselves or be referred by a professional including those working in health and community services, or by a friend or family
Jake and his brother were left with the task of picking up the pieces after losing both parents within two years.
“My world came crashing down,” said the 29-year-old from Salford.
Alan and Jake
(Image: Contributed)
“He was the perfect definition of a father; he worked all his life, always provided and he was the life of the party. He had a beautiful nature, always cared for everyone and provided for his children. He gave a tremendous account of how a father should raise their kids.
“He’s a man I will always look up to.
“After he died, I was walking around, and everyone was still going into Tesco, getting on with their lives.
“It was really hard for me to figure out, I was like ‘why isn’t anyone else feeling what I was feeling?’. It was difficult because it’s not how life was supposed to go at a certain age.”
During their final conversation, Alan told Jake that he wanted him to return to boxing, a sport that Jake had been training for since he was a young child.
This sparked the revival of his amateur boxing career. However, that was cut short after only three fights when Jake suffered from a bout of Covid and pneumonia.
Jake jumped back in the ring to fulfil his father’s dying wish
(Image: Joel Goodman)
Now Jake is a plasterer, but works with a local charity called Winston’s Wish to support young people who are grieving.
“I tell the kids to take each day as it comes,” explained the father of two. “Put one foot in front of the other. If you keep moving, you don’t have time to freeze.
“It’s the reality of life. The world still turns and that’s what I found out when my dad unfortunately took his life.
“It’s also about giving yourself time to have a bit of breathing space and time to grieve. A lot of people out there think they have to stereotypically ‘man up’ to survive.
“But that’s not the case, sometimes life is so fast you need to step back. You need to evaluate the space you’re in, look after yourself and find peace.
“You actually have to grieve, that’s one thing I found out I had to do. I just needed to understand what was going on, sit back and take it all in.”
Jake with his son Earnest and daughter Florence
The topic of one punch attacks is one close to Jake’s heart. Also known as ‘king hits’ or ‘coward punches’, they refer to the moment when an attacker hits another in the head, knocking them unconscious and leaving them at risk of further head trauma when hitting the ground.
There have been several high profile cases involving one punch attacks in recent years.
In September last year, the Manchester Evening News reported on the case of a violent thug who killed an elderly man with one punch.
The attack came after the 78-year-old had remonstrated with him for cycling on the pavement.
Just months before, in May, a thug who killed a man in a horror one-punch attack in Blackpool was jailed for less than two years.
“Nobody that I know wants to go out and look for a fight”, Jake told the MEN. “It’s either (when people are) under the influence of alcohol, drugs or peer pressure.
“No one goes out to willingly punch someone and end up killing them. That has a massive backlog effect on them because they won’t be able to live a normal life by being arrested or having it on their conscience.
“It also impacts the victim’s family and friends; they end up hating what life becomes because of that specific scenario. It’s sad that people can’t keep their hands to themselves.”
A new play about the devastating effects of one-punch violence is coming to Manchester. One Punch will be performed at the HOME theatre from February.
Written by BAFTA winner Jane Thornton and actress Martha Godber, the play follows Reece, whose life turns into a nightmare after one fateful night out in Hull. Although it is based on tragic true events, the story is a fictional one that the writers worked with charity, One Punch Hull, to bring to life.
One Punch will be showing at HOME from 12 February to 15 February. Tickets are on sale here.