Statement to police: James Stannard leaves hospital after cowardly one-punch attack
JAMES Stannard, back home for Easter, has finally been able to give police a statement after the shocking coward-punch attack that fractured his skull last Thursday morning.
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- Andy Friend gives emotional update on James Stannard
- Australian Sevens captain James Stannard in a stable condition
JAMES Stannard was finally able to give police a statement on Sunday after the shocking coward punch attack that fractured his skull last Thursday morning.
The Australian rugby sevens player is still suffering dizzy spells and only able to walk a few steps at a time, but is steadily improving and has been able to have lengthier conversations with family and friends each day.
The 35-year-old has been robbed of a Commonwealth Games swan song; Stannard was to have captained Australia at the tournament in the Gold Coast next week.
Instead, he’ll watch his teammates from home, recovering from injuries that could have been life-threatening if not for blind luck.
Stannard was unconscious before his head struck the pavement after being punched in the back of the head outside a kebab shop in Coogee just after 3am.
He landed on the side of his head.
British national Sam Oliver, 22, has been charged over the alleged assault that police described as unprovoked.
He is due to appear at Waverly Local Court on April 19.
Stannard was rushed to St Vincents Hospital, where he spent three nights before checking out on Easter Sunday to spend time with wife Kim and twin girls Layla and Zara.
Police officers visited his home later to take his statement.
Stannard has played in two previous Commonwealth Games and this was to be his farewell tournament.
He and the rest of the sevens side had been celebrating a farewell party last Wednesday night for coach Andy Friend, who is leaving the job after the Games.
They continued into the early hours in Coogee before the shocking attack, which happened in front of several of Stannard’s teammates and Friend.
Teammate Ben O’Donnell chased the assailant up Coogee Bay Road before tackling him to the ground, and helped by Friend and player Lewis Holland, the trio held the man before police arrived to make the arrest.
Friend said on Saturday that his initial thought after seeing Stannard felled was that the blow had been fatal.
Stannard regained consciousness and was in a stable condition the next day, and was later cleared by a neurosurgeon and ear, nose and throat specialist of any long-term damage.
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