"I don't hurt anyone": 89-year-old man fighting for his life after brazen attack
A grandfather is in an induced coma after he was attacked in an unprovoked and random incident.
Adelaide man Francesco Candido was taken to Royal Adelaide Hospital after he was left with a fractured skull and bleeding on the brain.
The alleged offender is 33-year-old Joel Page, who admitted he was drunk when he swung at Francesco with a roundhouse punch.
Francesco, who is 89-years-old, was walking through town with two bags of shopping when Joel randomly struck him.
Tragically, it was the first time the grandfather had been into town for more than a year.
“He was so determined to go to town because he hasn’t been for over a year, and I said, you know town can be a dangerous place,” Francesco's on Larry said.
“And he said, not for me, I don’t hurt anyone.”
His family started to grow anxious thinking Francesco has gotten lost when he didn't return home, before receiving a call from the local police.
“I sarcastically say, ‘oh, you’ve found my dad’, and they say, ‘yes we found him but unfortunately it’s bad news’,” said Larry.
Francesco’s wife of 60 years, his children and grandchildren have spent hours by his bedside since Tuesday, praying for a miracle.
Larry said he has tried to communicate with his comatose father, but to no avail.
“I try and talk to him, I try and see if I get any response,” Larry said.
“At the moment, nothing."
“I’m just hoping my dad pulls through and comes home.”
Larry said he felt “anger and hatred, which I’ve never felt before,” after learning his elderly father had been hit, as the elderly man remains in a critical condition.
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