The family of a teenager left fighting for his life following an attack yards from his home have spoken of their relief as he regained consciousness after emergency brain surgery.
Fifteen-year-old Harry Carver's skull was fractured and he suffered a brain haemorrhage after he was attacked close to his Rackheath home just before midnight on Wednesday. It is understood he was struck with a metal bar or pole.
The Broadland High School pupil managed to crawl into his house in Sir Edward Stracey Road, where his mother Joanne found him covered in blood.
She said: 'It happened outside the house and he managed to get inside, where I found him and called the ambulance. The paramedics told me if he hadn't managed to get into the house then he might have died.'
She said he had stopped breathing in the ambulance on the way to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and had to be put on a ventilator.
From the N&N he was transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, which specialises in head injuries, where he underwent brain surgery.
His step-sister, Micaela Robinson, said: 'I heard from my dad, who called me when he was in brain surgery. It was awful. He was in surgery for two and a half hours and he was then put into a coma and ventilated.'
While he remained in intensive care yesterday, Harry did regain consciousness yesterday and was able to say a few words to the family who were anxiously waiting by his bedside.
Mrs Carver said: 'To see him now, 24 hours later, it's such a relief that he's breathing and off the ventilator.
'He has been able to say a few words. He's very slurry and his short-term memory is very bad,
'They cannot say for definite that there won't be any longer-term repercussions, but they are pleased with his progress.'
A home in Back Lane in Rackheath was sealed off by Norfolk police and officers arrested a teenager in connection with the incident.
He was taken to Aylsham Police Investigation Centre to be questioned and was released on police bail yesterday, to be answered in April next year.
Police want witnesses, or anyone with information, to call Norwich CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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