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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Kirsty Card & Chiara Fiorillo

England fan left paralysed in wheelchair after attack by Russian hooligans at Euros

A football fan was left paralysed for life after an attack by Russian hooligans ahead of a match.

Andrew Bache, 55, was assaulted while having a drink with fellow England fans during the UEFA European Football Championship in 2016.

He was hit in the head and received three or four blows, including some while he was on the floor, witnesses said.

The incident happened when about 150 Russian men stormed the Old Port district in Marseille, France, where England fans had gathered to drink before the match.

Andrew, a Tesco delivery driver from Portsmouth, was left in a wheelchair and is now cared for by his son, the Daily Star reports.

Pavel Kosov (white t-shirt) alongside Mikhail Ivkine (blue shorts) during the riots in Marseille in June 2016 (Alamy Stock Photo)

As a result of the attack, he also suffered from memory loss, as well as physical and mental impairments.

Two of the Russian hooligans involved in the beating stood trial in December 2020.

Video footage played in court showed 55-year-old Mr Bache being punched and kicked as he lay on the ground.

Police personnel attending to England fan Andrew Bache following the clashes (AFP via Getty Images)

The court heard the 15 second attack changed his life forever, The Sun reports.

A medical expert, Michel Blanc, told the court it was a "wonder how [Mr Bache] is still alive".

Psychologists found that Mr Kossov lacked empathy and "a grip of reality" while Ivkine was "neurotic", the court was told.

Pavel Kosov, a 33-year-old truck driver, was jailed for 10 years for leading the attack on Andrew.

PE teacher Mikhail Ivkine, 34, was sentenced to three years for hurling a chair at him, despite claiming it was in self-defence as a judge ruled it to be "illegitimate".

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