Major step forward in investigation into death of Cambridge United fan Simon Dobbin

The investigation into the death of Cambridge United fan Simon Dobbin has taken a major step forward.

Essex Police confirmed this week that detectives have handed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration in relation to Mr Dobbin’s death.

The force added that four men arrested in connection with it remain released under investigation.

The CPS confirmed it had received the file, and a decision on any charges stemming from it would be made independently. It does not release timescales for charging decisions.

Mr Dobbin was left unable to walk or talk after being assaulted in East Street, Southend, following a match between Cambridge and Southend United on March 21, 2015.

He spent a year in hospital and in rehabilitation before returning home to Mildenhall, Suffolk, where he needed round-the-clock care.

Mr Dobbin’s story gained national attention after his home was adapted and transformed by the BBC’s DIY SOS team.

The show aired in January 2019 and Mr Dobbin died in October 2020, aged 48. Around 200 people lined the streets of Mildenhall to say their goodbyes to him on November 13.

A post-mortem examination found there was a link between Mr Dobbin’s death and the attack that left him brain damaged, leading Essex Police to treat it as murder.