Man left ‘profoundly disabled’ and died two years later after attack at petrol pump

A man was left ‘profoundly disabled’ and died two years later after being attacked by a stranger at an Asda petrol pump.

Bernard Hirsch was punched in the face and repeatedly hit with a walking stick by Tyrone Pollard at an Asda petrol pump on December 11, 2017.

He suffered a bleed on the brain and was left ‘profoundly’ disabled, unable to ‘speak, write, walk or move by himself’, according to his wife.

Mr Hirsch, a masters graduate, died in March 2020 aged 43 after contracting Covid. Although Covid was recorded as the cause of death, pathologists said his brain injury contributed.

Following a trial last year at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester, Pollard, 52, was convicted of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm.

He was jailed yesterday, receiving five years in prison for manslaughter and two for grievous bodily harm, with the sentences to be run concurrently.

The attack happened an Asda petrol station in Marsland Road, Sale in Greater Manchester.

Jurors watched CCTV of the two men – who both had mobility issues – arriving at the petrol station.

While filling up his Audi A3, Pollard, began shouting at Mr Hirsch. He then walked towards the kiosk before turning and approaching Mr Hirsch, who was filling up his Jaguar at an assistance pump.

Witnesses said they saw Pollard punch Mr Hirsch in the face before repeatedly striking him with his walking stick.

After heading inside to pay, Pollard told the cashier Mr Hirsch didn’t ‘need to be at f*****g pump six’ and that ‘there was nothing wrong with him’.

Petrol station staff went to check on Mr Hirsch, who had suffered a cut lip and was said to have been left ‘dazed and stunned’.

Mr Hirsch – who was suffering from Nephrotic Syndrome and was waiting for a kidney transplant before the attack – returned home, but didn’t tell his wife what had happened.

Days later, he began suffering severe headaches and vomiting. After collapsing, he was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital, where scans revealed he had a bleed on the brain.

He spent nine months in hospital before being discharged in August 2018 and returning home, where he needed 24/7 care.

Mr Hirsch was re-admitted with suspected Covid-19 on March 20, 2020. He died eight days later.

During the sentencing hearing, a statement written by Mr Hirsch’s wife Marzena was read by prosecutor Michael Brady KC.

She described her husband as a ‘caring man’ who ‘lived his life to the fullest’ despite his condition’ before the incident.

The attack, she added, left him unable to ‘speak, write, walk or move by himself’.

‘I try to remember Bernard as he was and not the shell of a man that he was before his death,’ she said.

Defending, John Jones KC said Pollard believed he had ‘every right to defend himself’ and claimed both men ‘argued or raised issues with each other mutually’.

He said Pollard’s actions were not ‘premeditated’ and described them as ‘impulsive, spontaneous and very short lived’.

Judge Maurice Greene highlighted that Pollard struck Mr Hirsch multiple times. He said he was ‘satisfied at least one of the blows struck him in his head’.

Mitigating, Mr Jones said Pollard is disabled himself, which could result in difficulties in custody. He also said Pollard had recently suffered bereavements.

Following the hearing, Detective Sergeant Kirsty Wroe, from GMP’s Trafford district, said: ‘Pollard’s senseless and totally unwarranted attack left a man with a serious bleed on the brain, and drastically reduced his quality of life over two years until his death.

‘His actions have left a family grieving – and all of whom have been strong and resilient in what has been an incredibly difficult few years.

‘Pollard is now behind bars and I hope that Bernard’s family now receive some closure, as they continue to rebuild their lives following his sad passing.’

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