THESE are the shocking injuries inflicted on a Truro taxi driver who was kicked in the face during a night out with his wife.
When Carol and Shaun Webb went to the Victoria Inn at Threemilestone in March last year they were expecting to have a few drinks with friends and colleagues.
Mr Webb – a taxi driver for A2B taxis – knew a lot of people there and CCTV footage showed them playing pool and socialising.
Little did they know that one of those people – Fergus Moriarty, himself a former taxi driver – would turn their lives upside-down.
Mrs Webb, aged 46, who allowed the West Briton to publish this shocking photograph of her 51-year-old husband in hospital as a warning to others, said the man she ended up taking home – after around five weeks in hospital – was not the same man.
During his trial at Truro Crown Court last week, the jury heard Moriarty, aged 45, of Hawthorn Way, Threemilestone, pushed Mr Webb while they were outside the pub.
CCTV footage showed him delivering a clinical blow to Mr Webb's face as he bent down to pick up his glasses which had fallen to the ground in the car park.
The one blow caused Mr Webb to fall to the ground where he smashed his head against the concrete, resulting in a fractured skull and a brain haemorrhage.
The original kick had already fractured his nose and cheekbone, caused the loss of a number of teeth and his eye to be pushed into his eye socket by half an inch.
Last week, Moriarty was found guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent on Mr Webb and was jailed for 10 years.
Mrs Webb, who ran to her husband within seconds of the blow but did not see it, described the events as horrendous.
"The effect it has had on me and my children, I can't really put into words," she said.
She described Mr Webb as a placid man who would always walk away from trouble rather than fight.
One of the effects of his numerous injuries had been memory loss, both short- and long-term, and Mrs Webb said her husband had no memory of the events of March 17 last year.
"He still does not remember our wedding," she added.
The couple, who have been married for 13 years, are hoping to renew their vows in the new year so Mr Webb has something to remember.
In evidence, Moriarty told the jury that he had been close friends with Mr Webb – a statement that Mrs Webb denies.
She added: "We just went out for a drink and I came back home with somebody that was not my husband. He is not the same person; he tries to be."
Sentence
Mr Webb, who has been unable to work since the incident, had managed to keep himself going with the help of his dog Vinnie, whom he could often be seen walking with, she said.
Of the sentence imposed on Moriarty, Mrs Webb said: "I said all the way along I did not mind if he even got six months as long as he gets put away to have time to reflect on what he has done.
"He has ruined our lives; he has ruined our kids' lives.
"Now at least we can move on."
Mrs Webb said she would like to thank everyone who had stood by her including the officer in the case, DC Mark Perkin, and her best friend Sue Jackson, whom she called "Mother".
As a warning to other would-be offenders, she added: "Think twice before using your hands, think doubly twice before using your feet because this is the damage that can happen, not only to the victim but it is a knock-on effect."
