A kind dad who "wouldn't hurt a fly" took his own life two years after he was violently attacked.
Paul Sullivan was found dead at his home near Skelmersdale on October 31 following a two-year struggle with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Paul, known to his friends as Sully, had lived for years with depression and in 2018 was the victim of a violent and unprovoked attack.
Falling into a cycle of drug abuse and paranoia, Paul struggled to overcome the memory of that attack, with his daughter Becky Sullivan telling LancsLive : "He was hearing voices and seeing things.
"He couldn't sleep, he was having flashbacks and nightmares, he had all this stuff racing around in his mind which he kept going over and over, it was really bad.
"The drugs would have contributed to that, but he was also so scared of going to sleep that he would take drugs to stay awake.
"He was up for days at a time."
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Sully was born on December 2, 1966, in the Pemberton area of Wigan.
Becky describes her dad as a kind and intelligent man, who wouldn't hurt a fly.
Before struggling with PTSD, Sully was in a high powered job as a project manager at World Pay and was on the verge of working with the company's American branch.
Becky said: "He would do anything for anybody and he didn't have a bad word to say about anyone.
"He always used to take me and my brother Tom to concerts, The Courteeners, The Arctic Monkeys, U2.
"He didn't have a violent bone in his body, he was the type of person who didn't fight back."
The 53-year-old had suffered with depression and mental illness for years but Becky believes that he had a hold on the condition.
Becky, 20, said: "He had depression before I was even born.
"But he controlled it, he was on medication and it didn't seem to affect him that much."
In June 2018 Sully was walking back to his Highfield home in Wigan. It was around midnight and the father of two was ready to settle into bed.
But before he could get home he was set upon by a man who accused Sully of having an affair with his wife.
The unprovoked and violent attack would leave Paul traumatised for the remainder of his life.
Becky said: "The pavement was soaked with blood.
"I went to see him after he was attacked and sat with him while he spoke to the ambulance and police.
"The guy just hit him and my dad fell to the floor, the guy didn't stop kicking him. He had bruises all over his ribs too.
"I think the guy would have killed him if he hadn't had stopped, it was that brutal."
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Sully recovered physically from his injuries but was mentally scarred by what had happened on that night.
She said: "He was physically ill due to the PTSD, he couldn't work because it affected him so badly.
"He didn't leave the house for a long time he was that scared, his friends tried to convince him but he always made excuses."
Things continued to get worse for Sully, who began using cocaine to deal with his problems.
Having previously condemned drug use, Becky believes that her father became dependent on the drug which helped him forget the attack.
On October 31, Sully was found dead at his Upholland home at around 2pm, having taken his own life.
Becky said: "I found out after getting home from work, it was the last thing I expected to hear, I just couldn't believe it.
"I knew he was struggling but I never expected that at all. I never got to speak to him before it.
"I hope that other people with PTSD can talk, I don't want other people to keep it to themselves because that is what my dad did."
Becky is currently raising money for the mental health charity MIND in her father's memory.
The 53-year-old leaves behind his daughter and 15-year-old son Tom.
Any funds are welcomed by Becky as well as her family and can be donated on her GoFundMe page.
