THE family of a man who suffered brain injuries in a vicious attack outside a pub are preparing to play his favourite Beatles’ track in a bid to bring him round.

Bob Barnes, 37, of Badlesmere Close on the Stanhope Estate at Ashford, has been in hospital since the attack in South Willesborough at the beginning of December. He has now been taken off a life-support machine but remains in a highly confused state.

Doctors and police fear Mr Barnes will suffer long-term brain injuries but his family are hoping the song Hey Jude will have a cathartic effect on him.

Not only is the Fab Four’s track Mr Barnes’ favourite song, but Jude is also the name of his four-year-old son.

His brother Richard said: “We have spent Christmas at Bob’s bedside. It has been one hell of a tough time for him.

“We have the CD player ready and in the New Year we are going to play him Hey Jude. It is his favourite song and Jude is his son. We are ready to give it a try. We hope it will have the effect we want.

A £1,000 reward has been pledged for information leading to the conviction of Mr Barnes’s attackers.

Detectives are still keen to hear from a witness who is thought to have vital information about the attack. He called police the morning after the December 2 assault and police are desperate to hear from him again.

Mr Barnes was attacked on Friday, December 2, outside the Albion Pub in South Willesborough and police have arrested two people – a 24-year-old local man and a young woman aged 19.

They have been bailed pending further enquiries to return to the police station in March and have not been charged with any offence.

The man leading the enquiry, Det Ch Insp Paul Fotheringham, is anxious to speak to a man who saw the whole thing.

He said: “On the Saturday morning a man from Ashford called headquarters and told us he saw everything. This man is vital to the enquiry and I cannot stress how urgent it is that we speak to him again.”

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S KENTISH EXPRESS