The family of a man who died after being attacked outside a south-east London nightclub three years ago are appealing for his death to be re-investigated.
Riccardo Holness, 42, sustained head injuries during the assault in Beckenham High Street in the early hours of October 17, 2021.
He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition and was placed on life support, but he had suffered severe brain damage and died nearly a month later, on November 12.
A post-mortem later found he died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and later bailed pending further enquiries, but nobody has ever been charged.
Mr Holness’ family are now hoping his death will be ruled “unlawful”, when it is examined by a coroner at an inquest next month.
They have launched a Gofundme page to raise money for legal representation at the inquest.
Mr Holness’ sister Ramona Marsh, 47, told The Independent: “I am mystified as to why anyone would want to hurt him.
“No one has ever been charged. I need an explanation, because anyone who knows him knows he would never start trouble. He always kept his cool, so for this to happen to him doesn’t make sense
“The last three years we haven’t had any [closure]. To know your loved one has been taken away and nobody has been held to account is too much to take.”
She described her brother - the “baby of the family” - as a “selfless” and “caring” person who went out of his way to help others.
“He had a very big heart and was very generous – he put himself out to help other people,” she told The Independent. “An old woman told me he used to do the shopping for her every week and now she’s been left alone.”
Ms Marsh told on the Gofundme page how the family’s lives were “irrevocably changed” by the attack, in which she said her brother “was punched once to the head”.
“The force used caused him to fall back and hit his head on the floor, resulting in his neck breaking in three places and fracturing his skull,” she wrote.“Riccardo was on a life support machine for just under a month, but unfortunately, he could not survive his injuries and the devastating decision was made to turn off his life support machine.
“This was the worst time of our lives. Ripping him away from our family completely broke us....Riccardo rarely went on nights out and was an extremely hard-working young man, known for his kindness and generosity.”
A spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution said there was not enough evidence to authorise charges over Mr Holness’ death.
“Our sympathies remain with Mr Holness’ family for the tragic loss they have suffered,” they told The Independent.
“We can only bring a prosecution when there is a realistic prospect of securing a conviction - our prosecutors reviewed this case with diligence and care, and concluded there was no realistic prospect of conviction on the evidence available.
“We recognise this has been difficult for Mr Holness’ family, and we have taken care to keep them informed of our decision-making throughout the process.”
