'He got to hold the daughter he'd never meet'

“It was important that she did that because we’ve got memories and pictures."

A heartbroken grandmother has captured the moment her son held the daughter he would tragically never meet.

George Fenlon, 23, was left with brutal injuries after he was attacked during a night out in the British resort town of Blackpool, about 40 kilometres north of Liverpool.

His partner Beth Turner, also 23, was heavily pregnant at the time of the attack, and gave birth to her daughter Clara just two weeks before George passed away.

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In that time, while George never regained consciousness, he was able to ‘meet’ his daughter when Beth lay her in the crook of his arm.

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George met his daughter Clara just three weeks before he passed away. Picture: Melissa Fenlon/SWNS

"We've got the memories and pictures"

George’s devastated mum Melissa said she wasn’t sure how the family got through the horrendous situation.

“The range of emotions we had to go through was horrendous,” she said.

“Beth wanted Clara to meet George and have a little bit of time with him, so she had a C-section and had a couple of weeks in hospital where she saw him everyday.

“It was important that she did that because we’ve got memories and pictures.

“The hospital did a lot - we’ve also got little prints of Clara’s and George’s hands together.”

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The tragedy began on August 15 last year when George, a bartender, was found with serious head injuries in an alleyway.

He was rushed to Royal Preston Hospital, about 30 kilometres away, but he tragically died on November 22 after spending three months in a coma.

A 26-year-old man has since been charged with George’s murder, and will face trial later this year.

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George was left in a coma after he was attacked during a night out in Blackpool. Picture: Melissa Fenlon/SWNS

"We were all just in shock"

Melissa said the ordeal left everybody who knew George “shocked”.

“It was one of his friend who phoned, he said something had happened but no one was sure what,” she said.

“Then we heard George had gone to Royal Preston Hospital and we didn’t originally know why, but then we found out he had a serious head injury, so Preston was the best place for him.

“His girlfriend was six or seven months pregnant at that time, so we were all just in shock.

“When we saw him, it was pretty horrific.”

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George and his partner Beth in happier times. Picture: SWNS

"He just wanted to make people laugh"

Six months on, Melissa told The Daily Mail she hoped to create a lasting legacy for her “fun-loving” son.

“He just wanted to make people laugh,” she said. “He was a fun-loving guy and very easy going, nothing really fazed him.

“Clara’s favourite TV show is Teletubbies, and he was like a big Teletubby I suppose.

“He was just daft, and it’s sad that Clara will never experience that.”

Originally published as 'He got to hold the daughter he'd never meet'