Robert went to a festival with his girlfriend. His family never saw him again

A mum "just exists" after her son died from a fatal punch at a festival.

Robert Hart, who lived in Wavertree and was a former art and design student at Liverpool John Moores University, went to Parklife festival on June 7, 2014 to enjoy a weekend of music and fun with his girlfriend. His family never saw him again.

The 26-year-old stepped in to protect his girlfriend who was being hit with an inflatable toy. An argument ensued in which a man punched Robert in the head. He fell to the ground unconscious and died in hospital several days later, reports the Manchester Evening News.

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His killer has never been caught. Today marks a decade since the day Robert was attacked - and the moment his mother's life changed for ever. His death continues to have a profound impact on Elaine, who remains desperate for answers and closure.

She said: "I just exist. My children and grandchildren help me enormously but every morning I wake up and I look at Robert's photograph...and I look at Robert's photograph when I go to bed.

"I ask the person that punched him 'why? What was the reason for such an aggressive punch?' What was going through their mind? Robert loved life and he should be here enjoying himself, having children, living his life. He went to Parklife to enjoy himself and he never came home."

Robert, who grew up in Macclesfield, would have celebrated his 36th birthday back in March. For grief-stricken Elaine, the thought of what her son endured in his final days will always be deeply painful.

Paying tribute to her boy, who she described as a "true gentleman", she said: "Robert was exceptionally kind. He was very funny and had a fantastic sense of humour. He enjoyed life and loved meeting people. He was a good, kind, honest person.

"If anybody needed any help, he was always the first there. He would help anybody. We had this good relationship and a banter where we laughed. He used to call me Elaine, mummy and mum."

Robert was the youngest of her four children - "a complete surprise but beautiful". He grew up in Rainow, Macclesfield. He then went on to study art and design at Liverpool John Moores University. After graduating, Robert remained in the city and moved in with his girlfriend, Gemma Parry.

He found a job in customer service at Barclays but would regularly return home to visit Elaine, his brother Richard, sisters Rachel and Nicola, and his nieces and nephews. Robert also loved to travel and had done Camp America twice as well as embarking on adventures around Europe and Thailand.

Music was another passion. Robert was a talented guitar player and could often be found with one strapped to his back. Although he had been to other festivals, 2014 would be his first time at Parklife.

Elaine said she last spoke to her son in the days prior to the festival.

She said: "I said 'enjoy yourself, Robert. Have a good time and see you when you get back'. I always said to him 'wherever you are Rob, just be careful'. He would say 'I know mum'.

"Parklife was so near home. He'd travelled the world, so you think 'it's a festival'. He wanted to go to enjoy himself, he wasn't a fighter. He didn't go to cause any trouble, he went purely to listen to music."

On the afternoon of June 7, Robert and his girlfriend Gemma caught the train from Liverpool to Manchester with two friends. Rain lashed down as the group made the journey to a muddy Heaton Park, where Parklife was being held for the second time following its move from Platt Fields Park in 2013.

The group arrived at the festival at about 5pm. At some stage that evening, the party split up. At about 8.50pm, Robert and Gemma headed to the main stage for Snoop Dogg's headline set. As London drum and bass band Rudimental finished their hour-long set, thousands of people were gathering in anticipation.

A mobile phone image taken around that time showed Robert and Gemma dancing together in an area to the right of the stage. Robert is smiling in the photograph.

Giving evidence at an inquest into Robert's death in 2015, Gemma described how she and Robert were waiting for Snoop Dogg to come on stage at about 9.15pm when an inflatable doll hit her on the head.

She said: “Rob said to the guy, ‘What are you playing at?’ in a normal tone, he wasn’t being aggressive.”

She said she then tried to get in between Robert and the man who punched him.

Gemma added: "I fell to the floor in the mud and then saw Rob hit the floor. He was lying on his back looking up at the sky. I was screaming. He started to turn purple. He wasn’t responding."

An off-duty midwife, Kerri Melero, resuscitated Robert when he was unconscious on the ground.

Kerri told the inquest: “I heard a thud - it was calculated, an extremely powerful punch. This wasn’t someone drunkenly throwing a punch at someone.

“I saw Gemma screaming to the man, ‘What have you done to him? What have you done to him?’. This was a man in need of medical attention. His face was turning blue.”

The midwife successfully resuscitated Robert and colour came back into his face. He even managed to sit up - despite having a bleed on the brain. He was seen by paramedics before being taken to North Manchester General Hospital.

Back home in Macclesfield, Elaine was oblivious to the horror of what was unfolding. It was not until the following morning, when she was at a car boot sale in Leek, Staffordshire, that she received a phone call informing her that Robert had been "attacked and punched".

She said: "We didn't have any details. We just knew that he had been knocked unconscious and the paramedics had taken him to North Manchester and he had been there overnight."

They headed to the hospital, where they found Robert in an induced coma in intensive care. He was later transferred to Salford Hospital, where he died on June 11 - four days after the attack.

At the 2015 inquest, coroner Nigel Meadows ruled that medical failings, including the misinterpretation of a CT scan revealing a serious head injury, had also contributed towards Robert's death. In the aftermath of the attack, the person who punched Robert managed to escape when another festival-goer, believed to be a woman, stepped in and dragged him into the crowd.

The attacker was described as being mixed race and aged in his mid-20s at the time in 2014. Police said he was around 6ft to 6ft 2in tall and of muscular build.

Officers believe he had short, dark hair which was shaved at the sides. He may have been with several people including an "unknown woman". She was white and aged in her mid-20s. She was possibly wearing a pink t-shirt, had blonde, shoulder-length hair and was around 5ft 7in tall.

A huge murder investigation followed the attack. Police launched the 'Help Bobby' campaign appealing for witnesses and information.

Detectives were "overwhelmed" by the public's response and received hundreds of emails and pictures. A £23,000 reward was offered, images of people in the crowd were released and more than 230 potential suspects were investigated and eliminated from enquiries.

An e-fit of the suspect was also posted across Manchester. At the height of the investigation, police were convinced they were "on the cusp" of catching the person responsible.

Frustratingly, police believe the attacker was just out of shot on the mobile phone image that captured Robert and Gemma dancing in the crowd. Detectives believe the photograph was just "one frame away" from capturing the face of the man who moments later would throw the punch that ended Robert's life.

In the years since, there have been repeated appeals from police and Robert's loved ones. Yet the person who punched Robert has never been identified. Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police offered a £50,000 reward in a desperate bid to track down the man responsible.

Meanwhile, Elaine remains desperate for answers about what happened to her son.

Appealing directly to anyone who may have information about Robert's attacker, she said: "If anybody knows of that person, come forward and give a name so we, as Robert's family, can hopefully get closure.

"There isn't just me that misses Robert. All his family, his nieces, his nephews, they all just adored him."

Elaine continues to visit Robert's grave in Macclesfield Cemetery several times a week, laying flowers and talking to her boy.

She said: "Nobody understands the heartbreak and emotion of losing a child unless you have experienced it. You expect to lose your parents but you don't expect to lose your child under such circumstances.

"I tell him how much I miss him and love him. That's my life, and asking 'why? Why did you punch Robert so hard that you knocked him unconscious and then it caused a bleed on his brain?'

Detective Inspector Madeline Kelly, of GMP’s Major Crime Review Unit, added: "It's been ten years since Robert's death. There may be somebody out there who knows who is responsible - even the person themselves.

"Ten years is a long time for the family not to have those answers. We are completely committing to finding the person responsible and we have a £50,000 reward for information that would lead to the charge and conviction of the person responsible.

"We really want people to look at their current position. Things may have changed, allegiances in ten years can change.

"Over the course of that weekend, we know there were other assaults. It's really important for members of the public to understand and to know that this is a live, ongoing investigation. We haven't found the person responsible."

Detectives have set up a Major Incident Public Portal where photos and videos can be uploaded. The link for the portal can be found HERE. Information can also be sent via a dedicated email address - HelpBobby@gmp.police.uk. You can also scan the QR code above.

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