The grieving mother of a man killed in a single punch at Parklife festival has told of her grief 10 years on from the attack, saying: "I just exist"
Elaine Hart's son Robert Hart died in hospital after being punched by a mystery offender at the Heaton Park event on June 7, 2014. The 26-year-old had been waiting to see US rapper Snoop Dogg come on stage whilst enjoying the festival with his girlfriend Gemma Parry when disaster struck.
Gemma was being hit with an inflatable toy, and when Robert stepped in to protect her, an argument broke out which culminated in a man punching him in the head. He collapsed and died in hospital several days later.
A decade on, Robert's death continues to shadow mum Elaine's life, with the 75-year-old revealing how looking at her son's photograph remains the first and last thing she does every day when she wakes then goes to sleep. The person who delivered the fatal blow to Robert has never been found, with Elaine still desperate for answers.
Robert was only 26 when he was fatally punched (MEN Media)
Mum Elaine still looks at her son's photo every night before she goes to bed (MEN Media)"Robert loved life and he should be here enjoying himself, having children, living his life," she told the MEN. "He went to Parklife to enjoy himself and he never came home." Robert, who would have celebrated his 36th birthday in March, was described as a "true gentleman" who was "exceptionally kind" with "a fantastic sense of humour".
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Art and design graduate Robert was working in customer services , with his main passions being music, travel and Manchester City. "Parklife was so near home. He'd travelled the world, so you think 'it's a festival'," said Elaine. "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."
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. "I fell to the floor in the mud and then saw Rob hit the floor," she added. "He was lying on his back looking up at the sky. I was screaming. He started to turn purple. He wasn't responding."
Robert's sister Nicola breaks down in tears in an appeal for her brother's killer (Manchester Evening News)An off-duty midwife, Kerri Melero, resuscitated Robert when he was unconscious on the ground, describing the attack as "an extremely powerful punch". While a photo on a concertgoer's phone captured the couple moments before, the attacker was sadly out of shot.
He managed to escape when a woman stepped in, dragging him into the crowd. An e-fit was later released of him, with police describing him as mixed race and in his mid-20s at the time in 2014. Police said he was around 6ft to 6ft 2in tall and of muscular build, with short, dark hair which was shaved at the sides.
He may have been with several people including the 'unknown woman', described as 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.
Nicola Hart and Elaine Hart, the sister and mother of Robert Hart (MEN Media)Sadly, Robert died at Salford Hospital on June 11 and being placed in an induced coma. 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.
Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police offered a £50,000 reward in a desperate bid to track down the killer. All Elaine wants is an apology. "Knowing what kind of person Robert was, he would never have done that," she said. "He wouldn't have been so aggressive, so vicious."
She added: "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."
Detective Inspector Madeline Kelly says someone out there knows who killed Robert (Manchester Evening News)Detective Inspector Madeline Kelly, of GMP's Major Crime Review Unit, said "someone out there knows who is responsible". "We really want people to look at their current position," said DI Kelly. "Things may have changed, allegiances in ten years can change."
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"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."
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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