A man who suffered brain damage at the hands of an attempted murderer has treated the near-death experience as a wake-up call and embraced his second chance at a better life, his brother has revealed.
Jamie Hood, 31, was knocked unconscious by a single punch and repeatedly stamped on during a vicious attack at Greig Court in Aberdeen on December 6 2021.
A jury unanimously convicted 37-year-old Sandy Mundie for his “cold and callous” acts of brutality after a trial at the High Court in Aberdeen.
The court was told that the violent thug wrapped Jamie’s seemingly lifeless body in a sheet and dumped him on a stairwell at the high-rise.
But Jamie is slowly overcoming his horrific ordeal, first waking from a medically induced coma in hospital and then learning to walk and talk again.
In an exclusive interview with The Press and Journal, Jamie’s younger brother Dillan Neil, 26, said his sibling has since turned his life around.
“Jamie is no angel,” Dillan explained, adding: “He’s never hurt anybody but he has shoplifted and spent time in prison for that.
‘Each day is an absolute blessing’
“But right now, Jamie’s living a better quality of life – he has a home that is a safe space, he’s got food in his fridge and he has his family.
“Each day is an absolute blessing and Jamie included has taken the lesson from this situation to appreciate life and make the most of it.”
Mundie is due to be sentenced in October and Dillan has urged the judge to impose a lengthy jail sentence.
He said: “The mental and physical things that Sandy Mundie took away from Jamie cannot be forgiven. It is disgusting what he did.
“But what Sandy Mundie has given Jamie is a second chance at living life better,” Dillan added.
“I don’t think Jamie’s life is worse off. Physically, yes, but his life as a whole has improved and he’s not going to waste it.
“Sandy should know that he’s not destroyed Jamie’s life. He should know that he’s made it better.”
When Dillan first saw his older brother in his hospital bed, doctors told him they believed his loved one had had a seizure, fell down the stairs and banged his head.
But Dillan quickly became suspicious of the possible explanation.
“Walking into the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) and seeing Jamie’s condition was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to witness,” he said.
“When I walked in, all I could see was a footprint on the side of his head. We then carried out our own investigation through a Facebook appeal for information, which led to a witness coming forward.”
The younger brother spoke of his heartache at watching his sibling fighting for his life.
“Seeing Jamie sedated, placed into a medically induced coma and connected to lifesaving machines, it wasn’t like looking at my brother,” he said.
“It wasn’t him because he wasn’t there. His eyes were closed and he was plugged into machines. It was hard to see him like that.
“The hardest part of this ordeal was seeing him in a state in which he wasn’t recognisable.
“When he first woke up from his coma he was in a trance. At that stage, he was breathing on his own but his eyes only opened around six weeks later.
“After I went away for four days when I returned, I called out his name as I came into his hospital room and he turned his head towards me and said my name, “Dillan” and put his arm out to reach for me.
“That was amazing.”
‘I came close to dying’
After receiving around-the-clock specialist care, Jamie spent eight months in a rehabilitation centre, followed by another eight months in an assisted living facility.
He is currently trying to live independently after proving that he can look after and wash himself.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his brutal attack, Jamie told The P&J: “I was happy about the guilty verdict because I was worried about Sandy Mundie being free and bumping into me.
“I don’t want him to know this but what happened has completely changed my life. It’s given me a second chance. A good thing has come out of a bad situation.
“It’s definitely made my life a lot better and a lot happier. I came close to dying. This could have been a murder trial. I’m lucky that it wasn’t.”
Jamie’s speech hasn’t yet returned to how it used to be.
He’s receiving support from a language and speech therapist to help it improve.
“I’m also working on walking properly again,” he added. “I’ve been practising taking steps with crutches.
“I want to go down to Liverpool to see my son for his birthday. It feels good to have goals in life now.”
Jamie’s relatives have said they never expected him to recover as much as he has.
Dillan said: “Jamie is able to stand up. He took his first-ever step around 14 months ago and from there, it’s progressed further.
“He’s now able to take a few steps with crutches. He’s able to get up and walk along a wall while holding on to things to support himself.
“He’s got really good use of his left arm. But he was right-handed before the incident and the right side of his body has been slower to recover.
“He’s had to learn to use his left hand instead. His speech is 70% there. There’s still a bit to go but he’s on the final stretch now.”
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