FATHER-OF-TWO Jay Abatan
is clinging to life after a single punch left him with severe head injuries.
His partner Tanya, the
mother of his young children, has spent the past three days by his bedside,
holding his hand and praying he will pull through.
Today, she pleaded with
Argus readers: "I desperately need your help to identify the men who have
devastated the life of myself and my family."
She joined police in
appealing for witnesses, especially a taxi driver who may hold vital clues.
Mr Abatan, 42, from
Eastbourne, is in a critical condition at Brighton's Royal Sussex County
Hospital.
He was hit and crashed to
the ground during a dispute as he waited with three friends for a taxi. Det Con
Geoff Knights of Brighton police said: "Tanya has been beside him
virtually all the time. She has hardly slept at all. She is so worried and very
distraught."
The couple's son, seven,
and daughter, five, have been told their father is ill but spared the details.
Mr Abatan is a tax
specialist with London accountants PriceWaterhouseCooper. His manager Jude
Edwardes said: "Jay is a friendly and popular guy and all of his friends
and colleagues are extremely worried. We are all praying and hoping for the
best."
Mr Abatan was attacked
after celebrating a friend's birthday at the Ocean Rooms nightclub in Morley
Street, Brighton, on Saturday night.
Police want to trace a
cabbie who picked up four men outside the Ocean Rooms at about 3am and took
them to Addison Road, Hove.
Four men have been
arrested and released on bail pending further inquiries.