The ‘tremendous bravery’ of the tragic man who helped bring down the Manchester gang

A man who was found dead six years after being attacked with an ax has been praised for his “immense courage” in helping to bring down a criminal gang.

Cameron Brooksbank, 24, known to loved ones as Cam, was tragically pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive at an address in Middleton on June 18 last year.

An inquest on Wednesday (May 15) found that a mixture of prescription drugs and cocaine were in his system when he died – but a coroner concluded that Cameron did not intend to take his own life.

READ MORE ‘He’d never come back…’ Mother’s heartbreak after ‘brave’ son found dead six years after horrific ax attack

His tragic death comes six years after the ax survivor suffered a brutal attack which he said “completely changed his life” and meant he was “not the same person”. At the time of the attack, Cameron was just a teenager working as a tree surgeon when he intervened in a road rage incident in Rochdale in 2017, trying to restore peace.

But the attackers turned on him and he was hit by an ax in the armpit, then the wrist, as he tried to defend his head from another blow. His hand was partially reattached, but he then required five more surgeries in the two years after the attack just to maintain 60 percent use of his arm. The inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court heard he was “devastated” by the attack and “never got over” it.

Appearing in an episode of BBC documentary The Detectives last year, Cameron opened up about his mental health struggles after the brutal and violent attack.

“I woke up from surgery and thought everything, like my career, was gone,” he recalled at the time. “I had five operations and was depressed and tried to do it myself a few times. I overdosed and was rushed to the hospital. I’m not the same person I was two years ago and I don’t think I ever will be.”

Giving evidence at the inquest, Cameron’s grandfather Fred Higgin said the attack had a “profound impact” on his grandson’s life, adding: “He never got over it, none of us. He was devastated by that ax attack. it returns by itself.”

The inquest heard that following the attack Cameron began using cocaine to “self-medicate”, but his family believed he had stopped using the drug before his death. The inquest also heard Cameron took two overdoses before his death.

Cameron’s mother Claire told the inquest that before his death he had been prescribed a new anti-depressant to help with depression. The inquest heard that a toxicology report found cocaine, oxycodone, pregabalin, diazepam, amitriptyline and mirtazapine in Cameron’s system and that all the drugs were prescribed except cocaine.

Coroner Kearsley recorded Cameron’s cause of death as mixed drug use (cocaine, oxycodone, pregabalin, diazepam, amitriptyline and mirtazapine) and bronchopneumonia and concluded that he died as a result of misadventure. She said there was “no evidence; Cameron intended to end his life.

After his death, a Greater Manchester Police spokesman told the MEN: “Cameron’s immense courage captured the heart of the nation and helped bring to justice criminals who posed a serious risk to the community.

“We will always remain grateful for his pivotal role in this case and for his family’s support during this time. Following Cameron’s inquest, our thoughts and condolences remain with his family and loved ones.”

And Claire’s mother read a statement and tribute to Cameron describing him as her “best friend”. She said: “The day he died was the day I died inside. He was and is loved by so many people. He had the biggest heart of gold and was so loving and caring, a true hero.

“I am so proud and honored to be his mother. The last few years since the ax attack had completely changed his life, but the strength and courage he displayed was remarkable.

“No one knows what he went through on that day (the day of the attack) and his scars. It was terrible what he went through, it’s so sad. He was in constant agony. He suffered, it changed his life completely. attack .”

Cameron’s attacker Mohammed Awais Sajid, known as ‘Skinny’, of Kings Road, Rochdale, was one of four men jailed for the ax attack in 2019. Sajid was jailed for 18 years after he was found guilty of wounding section 18. Last year, he lost an attempt to overturn his conviction.

Habibur Rahman, who called Sajid to the scene, was also given a four-and-a-half-year jail term for an assault charge.

Rahman’s brother Zillur Rahman, 29, was jailed for three years for conspiracy to commit violent disorder after he admitted making phone calls to convene the gang.

Arsan Ali, 23, who was among those who called and attended the scene, was jailed for four years after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit violent disorder.