THE victim of three brutal beatings is still waiting for a compensation payout which could run into thousands of pounds 18 months after the first attack.

Nigel Fulcher is at the Great Western Hospital after suffering a fractured jaw and skull, a blood clot on the brain, swelling and bruising during the unprovoked attack in Rivenhall Road, Westlea.

The 37-year-old was unable to work after the first assault in July 2003 in which he was bottled, repeatedly kicked and left for dead in the town centre.

He applied for a Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority payout but he is still waiting for the money.

Mr Fulcher could no longer afford to live at his house in Ravenglass Road, Westlea, but a friend let him a flat for a cheap rate in Mannington Lane.

His stepmother Sally, of Plymouth, Devon said the problems had made him depressed.

"It's disgusting it is taking so long for the money to come through," she said.

"He has had a terrible time and we want it sorted as soon as possible."

In December 2003, Michael Knight, a homeless 20-year-old, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years for the first attack in The Parade.

It left Mr Fulcher with an eight-inch cut to his head, a fractured left eye socket, a blood clot on his brain and a severely swollen face.

Although the Honda worker made a full physical recovery, he still has trouble communicating. Last February, he suffered a fractured jaw and eye socket in an attack outside a Swindon pub.

Mrs Fulcher says he is shattered by the latest attack at 11pm on Sunday, February 6.

"He can't say much and he's having trouble using his right hand and leg," she said. "His hearing is impaired and he's going to be transferred to a specialist unit in Bath. He's devastated."

A spokesman for CICA, which is part of the Home Office and dishes out compensation from the government to victims of violent crimes, said it was unable to comment on individual cases.

"We make compensation payments according to the severity of the injuries suffered in line with a tariff of injuries, approved by Parliament.

"The average length to issue a decision is eight months. Complex cases can take much longer."

Ben Payne