'My son was punched and killed at Parklife - 10 years on, I'm still waiting for justice'

Before Elaine Hart retires for the night, she gazes at a treasured picture of her son, Robert. Upon waking, she repeats this ritual.

This has been the 75-year-old's steadfast routine for the past decade. It's now been 10 years since Elaine last saw her son or heard his voice.

On June 7, 2014, Macclesfield man Robert Hart attended the Parklife festival, looking forward to a weekend of music and merriment with his girlfriend. Tragically, he never made it back home.

While in the midst of the crowd, eagerly awaiting US rapper Snoop Dogg's performance, he intervened when his girlfriend was struck by an inflatable toy.

A dispute broke out, during which a man landed a punch on Robert, 26, knocking him unconscious. He later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Around 70,000 people were present at the Heaton Park festival that weekend, yet the man who delivered the fatal blow to Robert remains unpunished.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of the day Robert was assaulted - a moment that forever altered his mother's life. His passing continues to deeply affect Elaine, who is still yearning for answers and closure.

"I just exist," said Elaine. "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 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, and went to primary school in the village before attending Fallibroome Academy.

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.

A keen Manchester City supporter, Robert also loved to travel and had done Camp America twice as well as embarking on adventures around Europe and Thailand.

Music was another of Robert's great loves; he was a skilled guitarist and was often seen with his guitar in tow. Despite having attended other festivals, 2014 marked his first experience at Parklife.

Elaine, his mother, last spoke to him just before the festival began.

She reminisced: "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 June 7, in the afternoon, Robert and his girlfriend Gemma took the train from Liverpool to Manchester alongside two friends. They braved the pouring rain as they made their way to a sodden Heaton Park, which was hosting Parklife for the second year after its relocation from Platt Fields Park in 2013.

They arrived at the festival around 5pm, and later that evening, the group split up.

Close to 8.50pm, Robert and Gemma made their way to the main stage, eagerly awaiting Snoop Dogg's headlining performance. As Rudimental, the London drum and bass ensemble, wrapped up their set, throngs of fans were converging in excitement.

A snapshot taken on a mobile phone at this time captured Robert and Gemma dancing joyfully to the side of the stage. In the photo, Robert is seen smiling.

During an inquest into the tragic death of Robert in 2015, his partner Gemma recounted the harrowing events that unfolded at a music festival while they were anticipating Snoop Dogg's performance around 9.15pm. She recalled the moment an inflatable doll struck her on the head and Robert's non-aggressive confrontation with the man responsible: "Rob said to the guy, 'What are you playing at? ' in a normal tone, he wasn't being aggressive."

Gemma then described her attempt to intervene before witnessing Robert being punched and collapsing: "I fell to the floor in the mud and then saw Rob hit the floor," she said. "He was lying on his back looking up at the sky. I was screaming. He started to turn purple. He wasn't responding."

Kerri Melero, an off-duty midwife who was present at the scene, provided crucial testimony about the incident. She detailed the severity of the attack: "I heard a thud - it was calculated, an extremely powerful punch. This wasn't someone drunkenly throwing a punch at someone."

Melero also recounted Gemma's desperate pleas to the assailant: "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's efforts to resuscitate Robert were successful, as she managed to revive him, restoring colour to his face and even helping him to sit up despite his critical condition. Paramedics later attended to him before his transfer to North Manchester General Hospital.

Meanwhile, Robert's mother Elaine was unaware of the nightmare scenario taking place. It wasn't until the next morning, while she was at a car boot sale in Leek, Staffordshire, that she received the devastating news of her son's assault.

"We didn't have any details," she recalled. "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 rushed to the hospital, only to discover Robert in an induced coma in the intensive care unit. Subsequently, he was transferred to Salford Hospital, where he tragically passed away on June 11, a mere four days following the assault.

At the inquest held in 2015, coroner Nigel Meadows concluded that medical errors, including a misread CT scan that failed to detect a severe head injury, contributed to Robert's untimely death.

In the chaotic moments after the assault, the assailant managed to flee when an unidentified festival-goer, believed to be a woman, intervened and pulled him into the throng of people.

The perpetrator was described as mixed race, in his mid-20s back in 2014, with a height of about 6ft to 6ft 2in, and a muscular build.

He reportedly had short, dark hair, shaved at the sides, and might have been accompanied by several individuals, including an 'unknown woman'.

This woman was described as white, also in her mid-20s, possibly dressed in a pink t-shirt, with blonde hair reaching her shoulders, and standing around 5ft 7in tall.

Following the brutal attack, a substantial murder investigation was launched. The police initiated the 'Help Bobby' campaign, urging witnesses and anyone with information to come forward.

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.

"I've always been a very honest person and I brought my children up to be," she explained. "If you've done anything wrong, apologise."

"It wouldn't bring Robert back but apologise and ask yourself why. Knowing what kind of person Robert was, he would never have done that. He wouldn't have been so aggressive, so vicious."

In a heartfelt plea for information regarding the assailant of her son Robert, she implored: "If anybody knows of that person, come forward and give a name so we, as Robert's family, can hopefully get closure.

"

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

The memory of what befell Robert in June 2014 remains a source of deep pain for Elaine, yet reminiscing about the cherished times brings a glow to her countenance.

She fondly remembers their trip to Paris in 2012 and the morning calls Robert made on his way to work. For his 26th birthday in March 2014, mere months before his untimely passing, she joined him in Liverpool for a celebratory lunch and a scenic boat ride along the River Mersey.

Elaine makes regular pilgrimages to Robert's resting place at Macclesfield Cemetery, where she lays flowers and converses with her beloved son.

"I tell him how much I miss him and love him," she expressed. "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? '".

She shared the profound grief of losing a child, a sorrow she feels is incomprehensible to those who haven't faced it themselves. "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."

This weekend, a swarm of youthful music lovers will flock to Heaton Park for the exhilarating Parklife Festival. Like Robert, they're buzzing with anticipation to see some of music's top talent performing live.

Once all the rhythms and fun have faded, they'll meander through the festival gates, heading back to their families. However, this ever anticipated moment is eternally elusive for Robert Hart and his dear ones.

Detective Inspector Madeline Kelly, from GMP's Major Crime Review Unit, commented: "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 committed 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."

Officers have established 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 through a special email address - HelpBobby@gmp. police.uk.

Alternatively, you can scan the QR code below.

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