A WOMAN has spoken of her devastation after the dream of bringing her severely disabled husband home to a specially-built extension was quashed.

In September 2015, Caroline Sykes's long-term partner, scaffolder Simon Hackett, was punched in the face and knocked to the ground as he walked home from a night out in Buttershaw.

Simon, now 40, suffered catastrophic head and brain injuries which have left him unable to talk or walk and totally dependent on nursing care.

Countless operations have followed and his family were unsure if he would even survive the attack.

In 2016, Jordan Docherty was sentenced to four years in a young offender institution, while Caroline, 49, and her teenage daughter, who was only 11 when her dad left home and never came back, have had to face the unimaginable and heart-wrenching consequences of what happened that night.

Despite the tragedy, they have taken comfort and strength in the hope Simon would one day return to their home on Cooper Lane so they could be a family again - but it's a dream that has been dashed.

They submitted a planning application last year for a single-storey extension to the back of their home, but it was refused.

Two neighbours had lodged their objection, citing fears about overshadowing, loss of light and loss of privacy. The family appealed the decision, but in yet another blow, it was dismissed.

In throwing the appeal out, Planning Inspector Alison Partington said while the proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the area, it would have an adverse impact on the living conditions of those living in one of the homes next door.

The inspector highlighted outlook and light as particular concerns and said the extension would conflict with policy "which seeks to ensure that developments do not harm the amenity of existing or prospective users and residents".

Miss Sykes said: "We are devastated - it's his home.

"Simon needed to come back to the home he left on September 20, 2015.

"He never returned. He needed to return to his family home."

She said it is now the end of the road in terms of bringing back Simon to the Cooper Lane house and they will instead look to find an adapted home where they can be together.

"It's the end of another chapter," she said.

Speaking about the impact on her daughter, who will turn 16 next month she said: "She's not been able to go to school. She's got her GCSEs coming - she's absolutely heartbroken that dad is never coming home to where he belongs.

"He should be allowed to come back to where he belongs."

Miss Sykes hit out at the objections lodged to the application and said: "His life expectancy is very, very short.

"He's already gone five years and he's only got a few more left. That few more means more than you could ever imagine. We were going to enjoy family life with Simon."

A couple of months ago, Simon's daughter spoke for the first time about what happened and the journey she has been on.

I was 10 days into high school with an exciting time ahead - getting my education and also meeting new friends," she told the Telegraph & Argus.

That really didnt happen. My dad, my best friend and my everything was left dying in the road from an unprovoked attack.

We have all been on a very long journey for the past four years, so now I have a very different dad who I will always love and cherish forever.

In what now seems an even more poignant hope for the future, she said: Most of all we are looking forward to been a family again in the New Year - ever since my dad was taken into this cruel way of life.

The devoted pair still go to see Simon everyday and say they are "still as strong" as they always were. Miss Sykes met with Mark Burns-Williamson, West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, earlier this year to talk about the impact of the attack.

At the time, he said: I want to say how courageous I found Caroline in rebuilding her life after such a difficult trauma that continues to present significant challenges to her daily life. He said he would be raising the case - and the gaps it highlights - with Dame Vera Baird, the Victims Commissioner for England and Wales.

Excerpt from:

Partner of Bradford dad Simon Hackett speaks of devastation over planning appeal - Bradford Telegraph and Argus