There in body but not in spirit, they watched him lie lifeless for 15 torturous months

As Shane Maloney lay in his hospital bed, tears began rolling down his face. His devastated family visited him week after week as he lay lifeless, a severe brain injury reducing him to a shell of his former self.

A man just aged 28 when he died, who enjoyed spending time with his family including his young niece and nephew. A life wasted and cut tragically short, after he was attacked by a drink and drug-fuelled thug.

Mr Maloney was left unable to walk or speak, effectively paralysed after being hit over the head with a champagne bottle by Dean Hughes. The pair had never met prior to the brutal attack, but a row over a mobile phone descended into a fight.

READ MORE: Murderer hit man over the head with champagne bottle then tried to blame it on his own girlfriend

Mr Maloney became angry with Hughes after he refused to give back a mobile phone which had been lent to him by his girlfriend, and was initially the aggressor, Manchester Crown Court heard. But Hughes' response was wholly disproportionate and had catastrophic consequences.

Mr Maloney was never the same. He died 15 months later after contracting an infection. For his family, that period in time was 'torture'. The attack, committed at a house on Wigan Road in Leigh, robbed them of the Shane they knew and loved.

"For me, Shane died on November 8, 2019, certainly Shane as we knew him," his aunt Dawn Steele said in a statement read on her behalf at Hughes' sentencing hearing.

"After being told he wouldn't survive the night at Salford Royal Hospital, to days, weeks and months and visits, I can't explain the heartbreak and difficult times, of hoping every day for some glimmer of hope that Shane would recover.

"Dean Hughes took away every memory I had of Shane as he was growing up, as the only thing that I have been able to picture for the last few years is of one of the visits to the rehabilitation hospital. He was just looking at us.

"We were hoping that he was there, somewhere, deeply hidden away. Tears started rolling down his face. Maybe he knew he was trapped inside his devastated body."

Mr Maloney had lost both his parents at a young age. For his sisters, it was another tragedy which they will have to come to terms with.

Jenna Maloney said her 'world came crashing down' when she learned of what had happened. She said of her sibling: "He was my best friend and the best uncle to my children. From the first time I saw him lifeless in that hospital bed, to the day he passed away was nothing but torture, not just for me but for Shane himself.

"What kind of a life was that for him? His life was taken the day Dean Hughes attacked him. He couldn't walk, he couldn't eat, and most of all he couldn't even speak. I went to visit my brother, but it was no longer the Shane I knew."

Torey Maloney said of her late brother: "Shane died that night in November 2019. He was my brother in body but not in spirit.

"Due to the actions of Dean Hughes, he would never be the same. People talk about being heartbroken but I felt and still feel like a part of my heart has gone. The loss of my brother has fundamentally changed who I am as a person."

Hughes pleaded guilty to wounding with intent and in June 2020 was sentenced to eight years for the attack. Mr Maloney suffered 'life changing' brain injuries and was left unable to walk or speak and had to be fed by a tube.

Following Mr Maloney's death in March 2021, prosecutors re-opened the case and charged Hughes with murder. He was found guilty of the charge after a trial.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday (April 19), Judge John Potter handed Hughes a life sentence, and ordered him to serve a minimum of 11 years and seven months in prison before he can be considered for release by the Parole Board.

The judge said that the minimum term would have been 16 years, but explained that it had to be reduced to reflect the time Hughes has already spent in prison. He has been locked up since November 2019, in the aftermath of the attack.

After the hearing, Detective Inspector Chris Preston, from GMP's Wigan district, said: "This is a really sad and upsetting case that has had devastating consequences for those who knew and loved Shane. Hughes actions on that night have rightly been brought to justice and shows that his intentions on that night were cause to serious harm to Shane with no regard to those around him or what he did.

"Our investigation has always had the family of Shane at the heart of it and would like to pass on our condolences once again, as they sadly must come to terms with losing Shane in such distressing circumstances over a prolonged period of time, always hoping, praying and giving him the best quality of life, he could have despite the injuries he sustained at the time.

"As a force we remain committed on investigating and solving crime around serious assaults and despite the tragic story around this, hopefully sends a stark reminder to everyone that your actions can have far reaching consequences."