A MAN was killed after a blow-up doll hit his girlfriend’s head at a Snoop Dogg concert.
Robert Hart jumped to Gemma Parry’s defence but died after being struck by a single blow during the incident at Parklife Festival in Manchester.
A decade on, Gemma is making a fresh appeal in a bid to catch the attacker.
Vast crowds were enjoying the US rapper’s performance at Heaton Park on a Saturday evening in June 2014 when tragedy struck.
The doll was being thrown above revellers’ heads at the main stage before it struck Jemma.
As Robert turned around to confront whoever had done it, a single punch was thrown.
He died in hospital five days later, aged just 26.
Gemma has described how she believed Robert was okay after the punch, but how sadly his condition quickly deteriorated.
About 70,000 people were at the festival that weekend, but to this day the man who punched Robert has escaped justice.
Detectives stressed the case remains “unsolved” but “ongoing”.
A £50,000 reward also remains on offer for information leading to a conviction.
GMP investigators have trawled through thousands of photograph images and hours of mobile phone video footage, but say someone in the crowd may have ‘unwittingly’ captured a still or film that could prove invaluable.
Robert was the youngest of four children. He grew up in Rainow, Macclesfield, and went to primary school in the village before attending Fallibroome Academy.
He then went on to study art and design at Liverpool John Moores University.
Gemma’s appeal comes as Robert’s mum, Elaine Hart, told how the family prayed at his hospital bedside as he lay in an induced coma.
She described the attack as “completely, completely unnecessary” – and told how Robert’s future dreams had been taken away in an instant.
Partner Gemma, speaking to the BBC‘s Crimewatch show this week, said: “We were pretty much inseparable since the day we met. He was my best friend – he really was. And he never let me down.”
Gemma said they had been to Parklife the year before and Robert got tickets again. The couple were with three friends.
“It was raining, then the sun came out as soon as we got there really,” she said.
“We danced, bought some drinks. We just sat there and spoke to people, just had a lovely time together.”
Gemma said they went to watch the end of Rudimental’s set and were waiting for Snoop Dogg to come on.
“There was an inflatable doll,” she said. “It got chucked over once then chucked back over. The second time, it hit me and covered me in mud.
“And that’s when Rob turned around. He actually said he didn’t want any trouble. And that’s when they have turned into a scuffle.
“I was trying to get Rob away and that’s when I got knocked over. And then it was only within seconds that he came down next to me.
“Someone just said to me ‘we have got him back’. The next thing I knew he was just apologising to me.
“He was dazed, you know. You think because people are telling you he is alright, he is alright. He was far from it really.”
Manchester City fan Robert, who loved playing the guitar, was rushed to hospital, but had suffered a catastrophic bleed on the brain. He died five days later.
Detective Sergeant Clare Smith, from GMP, told the BBC one punch “can take lives”.
She said: “There was an inflatable doll that was being thrown around the crowd and as it got thrown over them, it hit Robert’s girlfriend Gemma, which covered her in mud.
“Robert turned around and spoke to the person who had thrown it, he just went to his girlfriend’s defence really. This led to a bit of an altercation.
“A punch was thrown and Robert was hit. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
“He was given CPR at the scene and he did come round and he was able to make his way to the medical tent.
“From there he got an ambulance to the hospital. Unfortunately, a few days later, he died.
“One punch can take a life and it is a very tragic case. The person responsible may well not have been aware of the fatal impact that his actions had because he left the scene immediately afterwards.”
The suspect is described as a mixed race man aged in his mid 20s and around 6ft 2in tall.
He had short dark hair shaven at the sides and was muscular.
At some point during the festival, he was with a white woman aged in her mid 20s with shoulder length blonde hair, possibly wearing a pink T-shirt.
Det Sgt Smith said: “We are hopeful that the passage of time may mean that those who didn’t feel comfortable talking to us in 2014 may now feel brave enough to do so.
“If you witnessed the attack, or someone confided in you afterwards about what happened, we would like to hear from you.
“If you were taking videos and photos at the festival, you may well have captured something that helps with the investigation.
“If you have something that you haven’t yet given to us, we would like to see it. Robert’s family have had to live with this for 10 years now. We would really like to give his family some closure.”
