TRAGIC Cameron Brooksbank has been hailed for his bravery after having his hand cut off by an organised crime gang when trying intervene in a road rage dispute.
The young tree surgeon’s ordeal featured in BBC documentary series The Detectives after the savage axe attack on him in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
BBCCameron Brooksbank suffered torment after being attacked by a Rochdale gang[/caption]
MEN MediaHe needed life-saving surgery reattaching his hand after the October 2017 assault[/caption]
BBCCameron’s distraught family have praised his ‘bravery’[/caption]
Cameron was just 17 when he was targeted by an organised crime group and later told how his life was never the same again.
Tributes were paid to him after his death was revealed, following the BBC Two and iPlayer broadcasts of the three-part series.
The series shows Greater Manchester Police‘s efforts to bring down an organised crime group called “The Adam”.
Their investigations were escalated by the attack on Cameron in October 2017, which left him needing his hand surgically reattached.
The assault happened on Rochdale’s Newbold Estate where the gang were based.
Cameron and four fellow tree surgeons were set upon after trying to help a member of the public embroiled in a road rage row.
A trial later heard how Adam OCG member Habibur Rahman felt ”disrespected” by the confrontation, before putting together a mob of about 20 men to exact revenge.
They included Mohammed Awais Sajid – known also as “Skinny” – who brandished an axe at Cameron.
The victim used his arm to try fending off a blow aiming at his head, only to have his hand severed instead.
It was reattached in life-saving surgery but he had to endure another five operations over the next two years, Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Sajid was jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of Section 18 wounding.
Rahman was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for assault after jurors heard he wielded a knuckleduster when punching another of the tree surgeons in the face, breaking his victim’s nose.
Cameron revisited the trauma of the attack and its agonising aftermath in the BBC series.
I am not the same person as I was
Victim Cameron Brooksbank
He recalled: “The first hit was on my left hand side just under my armpit – it went that far in, he had to yank it back out.
“I felt something warm and wet – as I turned around I saw the axe was about here and I put my arm up.
“The axe went through the top of my wrist and then it shattered my bone.
“I remember absolutely every single second of that day.”
He also told of the devastating impact since, adding: “I am not the same person as I was two years ago and I don’t think I ever will be.”
His family have praised police who investigated the gang as well as people’s “tenderness” towards Cameron as he tried to recover.
In a statement released after the final part of the series was shown on November 1, they said: “We’d also like to thank the public for all the many kind words and praise for our special son and grandson, Cameron whose passing has created such a huge and painful void in our lives.”
They described how cops and programme-makers had “carried us throughout this tragic and frightening journey”.
‘REMARKABLE COURAGE SHONE THROUGH’
The family added: “Thank you so much for everything and the support you all continue to give us through this difficult period.
“We are extremely proud of Cameron’s bravery and that his personal story will hopefully help raise some much-needed awareness around this topic.”
There have been tributes from elsewhere, with a local website saying Cameron’s loss “sent shockwaves through the Rochdale community”.
It went on: “Cameron Brooksbank held a special place in the hearts of Rochdale’s residents, as he was intricately woven into the town’s history and an unwavering champion for its people.
“Cameron’s remarkable courage shone through when he triumphed over a traumatic assault in 2017.
“Through sheer determination, he not only made a remarkable recovery but also emerged as a beacon of inspiration to fellow Rochdale residents.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.
He spoke on BBC crime series The Detectives about his struggles to recoverBBC
BBCCameron told of being set upon after intervening in a road rage dispute[/caption]
SWNSHe was described as a ‘special son and grandson’[/caption]
Greater Manchester PoliceRelatives said his loss left a ‘painful void’[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
