Walsall attack victim fights for life
[gallery] A man is fighting for his life after being attacked outside a pub in Walsall. Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
It is claimed that the victim, named locally as 45-year-old Leon Hall, was warned by a friend not to go out over fears for his safety.
He was punched and kicked in the head in the assault outside the Staffordshire Knot in Darlaston in the early hours of yesterday.
Householders described him as a popular figure in the town and 'one of the nice guys'.
They also said he was recovering from leukaemia and had received dialysis due to his illness. Police sealed off an area around the Pinfold Street pub and put up a blue tent at the scene, at the junction with Wolverhampton Street.
The men arrested, aged 25 and 50, remain in custody.
Stunned friend Lincoln Nijee, aged 42, of Pinfold Street, said: "I can't believe it. Leon is my good friend. We were up at the bookies in the afternoon and he told me he was going to the pub to watch the boxing. I told him to be careful because there have been one or two incidents in the area where guys have been in fights because of name calling.
"But he said he grew up in the town and went to school with the people round here. He has got leukaemia and his parents have died. He was telling me the last time we spoke that his dad died about six years ago. He has got a brother in the area.
"This is very sad. Leon is a good man. I am sorry this has happened to him. He couldn't work because of his health problems."
Another man, aged 55, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: "Leon is one of the nicest guys in Darlaston. He hasn't got a nasty bone in his body. There are rumours in the area that there was a fight between him and another man over a falling out from their school days."
Mr Hall is believed to have been living in the Birmingham Street area of the town.
People living near the pub have spoken of their shock at the violent episode.
Father-of -three Wayne Roseblade, aged 35, of St John's Road , said: "My children told me they heard some shouting after midnight. When I got up this morning and opened the curtains I saw the blue tent which was a bit of a shock."
Police say the victim's condition is described as 'critical'.
He appealed for anyone with information to call police on101.
