Violence Antidepressant 11/08/2009 England Man Attacks a Stranger on the Street Summary:

Paragraph 20 reads:  "Judge Francis Gilbert QC told him it was a savage and cowardly attack on a defenceless man."

"Marriott said in court he did not recall the incident, possibly due to the combined effects of alcohol plus anti-depression drugs."

While John says he is relieved Marriott is now behind bars, he feels the sentence wasn't harsh enough.

SSRI Stories note:    The Physicians Desk Reference states that
antidepressants can cause a craving for alcohol and alcohol abuse.  Also, the liver cannot metabolize the antidepressant and the alcohol simultaneously,  thus leading to higher levels of both alcohol and the antidepressant in the human body.  





http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/helpless-8211-felt-dying/article-1238898-detail/article.html


THESE are the horrific injuries that were inflicted on a city man who was almost killed when a stranger attacked him in Union Street.

Visible are the bootmarks left on the former bricklayer's face where Kevin Marriott stamped his head into the pavement as his victim lay handcuffed on the ground.

Speaking after his attacker was sentenced and jailed for 30 months – as reported in The Herald on Monday – 43-year-old John Jones from St Budeaux has described the moment he feared for his life and has revealed the difficulties he now faces as a result of brain damage.

"This attack was by someone who I'd never seen before and haven't seen since," he said.

"It was the worst feeling of my life as I lay there.

"I can only describe it as a black moment. I now suffer memory loss and haven't been able to work as a brickie for a year."

John said he had felt the feeling of dying when, in his thirties, he was fitted with a pacemaker to correct a heart condition – but he described the moment he was crushed by Marriott as like "being killed".

"The feeling that will never leave me is the feeling of being killed as I was completely helpless on the ground," he said.

Mr Jones had been out having a few drinks at the Reflex bar when he was ejected following a dispute.

Police restrained him to calm him down, and he was lying handcuffed on the ground when Kevin Marriott leapt from railings on to his head.

He instantly lost consciousness, with blood pouring from his wounds, and awoke in hospital to be told he had two metal plates fitted into his face, skull fractures, broken bones in his nose, eye socket and jaw and nerve damage leaving him with no feeling in the left side of his face.

He has since been told by a brain specialist that he has a brain injury, affecting his short-term memory.

"A job that would have taken me 20 minutes took me two-and-a-half hours since the accident, as I couldn't properly co-ordinate what I was doing and needed to practice everything I'd learned again," he said. "I struggled just to go and do normal things like go and pay bills. I'd leave the house and realise I'd forgotten my keys or my phone all the time."

He said he also couldn't eat properly for months while he adjusted to the metal implanted in his face.

The road to recovery is now starting for John, as he is set to start new work and is happy in a new relationship, but he told The Herald the attack had shattered his confidence.

"I never left the house for ages afterwards when Marriott was out on bail," he said. "I couldn't sleep at night and I was scared that every time I opened the door it might be him or a gang of men. I didn't know how many people might be involved with him," he said.


Marriott was chased and arrested by police after being restrained with incapacitant spray and leg straps. He was charged with GBH and sentenced to two and a half years behind bars.

Judge Francis Gilbert QC told him it was a savage and cowardly attack on a defenceless man.

Marriott said in court he did not recall the incident, possibly due to the combined effects of alcohol plus anti-depression drugs.

While John says he is relieved Marriott is now behind bars, he feels the sentence wasn't harsh enough.

"It felt good that he's been put away, which is something, but the sentence wasn't much," he said.

"He wasn't charged with intent, even though he jumped from the top of railings."

John says help and support from his family and friends has been fantastic and has helped him to keep his brain active.

"My children and many others have been so fantastic. I've tried to do a bit of voluntary work to keep busy round at friends and family's houses.

"I've also been playing on the Nintendo DS brain trainer, which has helped loads," he said.

He added that he wanted to tell his story to warn others about what went on in the world and about how dangerous Union Street could be. "I worry when my daughter goes out and think people should take care and stay away from trouble," he said.