THE wife of man found unconscious outside a St Neots pub with a fractured skull is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Fifty-nine-year-old John Lord was discovered outside the Tudor Rose in Huntingdon Street just after 11pm on Friday, December 14. He is still in Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, almost six weeks later.

The cause of Mr Lord’s injuries remains a mystery and police are now re-appealing for information.

Mr Lord was initially taken to Bedford Hospital but was discharged after having his wounds cleaned and dressed.

However, Mrs Lord took her husband to Hinchingbrooke Hospital just hours later, where his condition deteriorated to such an extent that he was transferred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where he spent nine days in critical care.

As well as skull fracture, Mr Lord suffered bruising to his brain. He suffered a number of violent seizures, which dislocated his shoulders. He has suffered nerve damage to one of his arms and his short-term memory has also been affected. His body is not regulating hormones and doctors will not discharge him until he stabilises.

Mrs Lord, 56, has been at her husband’s bedside every day since he was admitted to hospital.

She said: “He’s not too bad now – I can see light at the end of the tunnel. He’s recognising more people now – to begin with he didn’t know me or his own children.”

Mrs Lord was in St Ives with her daughter when she got a call to say her husband was being taken to hospital.

She recalled: “My main concern was why they were taking him to Bedford Hospital. They said he needed a scan but I didn’t know why they couldn’t take him to Hinchingbrooke.

“When I first saw him, he looked pretty bad. There was a lot of blood. They literally glued his head and sent him home. He was being violently sick and wasn’t making much sense. He couldn’t stand up but the staff in Bedford Hospital put him in a wheelchair and helped us get him to the car.

“He got worse and worse and all of the symptoms to be concerned about mentioned in the booklet they had given to me about head injuries, he had been displaying in hospital. I couldn’t believe they had sent him home. He was away with the fairies. I took him to Hinchingbrooke, where he had a scan. He had a fracture and bruising to his brain and he deteriorated from there.”

Father-of-four Mr Lord, who also has three grandchildren, has run JJ Motors in Abbotsley for more than 15 years.

Mrs Lord said: “He’s a mechanic – he won’t be able to work and I won’t be able to work because I will be caring for him. I don’t even know what’s in the workshop. It’s something I’ve just had to put on hold.

“I want people to realise the consequences of what has happened – the knock-on effects for us as a family. We have no income now – I’m thinking ‘Am I going to have to sell my house?’”

She continued: “We still don’t know what happened. The police made an appeal but no-one came forward.

“He always has too much money on him – we’re always going on at him about it – but when he was found he had no money. I could be wrong but perhaps he had been assaulted. No-one’s found his bracelet either and he never took that off.”

PC Lucy Bright said: “We are still trying to get to the bottom of how the victim suffered these injuries and I would be grateful for any information people can provide.”

Anyone with any information should call PC Bright on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.