Surfer dies a month after assault

BBC Online, 10 Feb 2008. A member of the south Wales' surfing community has died in hospital a month after an alleged attack in a car park.
Nick Baty, 48, from Brackla, Bridgend had been in a coma since the assault last month, said friend Bill Webber.

A 17-year-old from Brackla has already been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent and is in custody. Mr Baty's death is the second in the community in the last few weeks. His friend Ian 'Benny' Davies, 50, died on a trip to Costa Rica last month. Mr Webber said Mr Baty's death, so close after that of Mr Davies, "was very sad news".

Mr Baty, who formerly worked as a maintenance engineer, was attacked on 4 January in a car park outside a gym in Brackla, said Mr Webber.

Semi pro circuit

He had been in intensive care in the Princess of Wales Hospital, Bridgend. South Wales Police said it would now review the case with the Crown Prosecution Service after Mr Baty's death. "He passed away in hospital early this morning," said Mr Webber, who had spoken with Mr Baty's father.

"He had never recovered after the attack."

Mr Baty leaves a 12-year-old daughter, he said. He lived with Mr Webber, who is known in the surfing community as 'Scotty', before he went to France and married several years ago. Mr Webber added that as well as a keen surfer in the Porthcawl area for many years, Mr Baty had been a keen golfer, playing on the semi pro circuit, and had been attending the funeral of a golfing friend on the day he was injured.

Tributes are being left for Mr Baty on the BBC Wales Where I Live south east surfing website, where many have already remembered Mr Davies. Mr Davies, who was 50, died from a suspected heart attack surfing in Costa Rica on 5 January and around 600 people attended his funeral at Coychurch Crematorium last month.