Originally posted by another user
A soldier is fighting for his life after he was savagely assaulted following his return from Afghanistan hours earlier.
Signaller David Grout, 22, was celebrating with his mum and stepdad when he was set upon as he went for a smoke outside a club. He was punched in the head, fell over and hit his head badly on the path.
Witnesses said there was no quarrel and saw two men flee the scene.
The soldier, who is in the Royal Signals, only flew in from Helmand's front line seven hours before. Last night wife Kerry and their 22-monthold son Harley were at his hospital bedside as he lay in a coma.
Club stewardess Pam Gardner said: "To think he's come back from Afghanistan to this is shameful."
Signaller Grout was on a brief visit to see mum Maureen and stepdad Ian when he was assaulted in Eston, Teesside, on Tuesday evening.
He was due to see Kerry and Harley in Colchester before heading back to Helmand in a week. He had an emergency op yesterday and is critical. A man of 19 was yesterday being quizzed by police over the attack.
I think this is pretty sick. It doesn't say if the attacker knew he was a soldier, or maybe he did and that's why he attacked him. Maybe they were extremists? Either way it's sad to think that he survived being shot at and almost being killed in every step he took just to come back to England which is safe (compared to Afghanistan) to be set upon and be put into a coma.