THE family of a murdered Grimsby fisherman have been given "the best early Christmas present" they could wish for, after learning his killer will remain behind bars.
Neville Dunn, 44, died almost two years ago after a brutal attack while working as a fisherman in Cornwall on New Year's Eve 2007.
He was left severely brain damaged after being assaulted by fellow fisherman Brian Harrison, 31, who, while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, had wrongly convinced himself Neville had raped his girlfriend.
His wounds were so severe, he was left in a semi-conscious coma and vegetative state for 22 months, before finally succumbing to his injuries in October 2009.
After initially being jailed indeterminately in August 2008 – with a minimum term of six years – when he was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm, Harrison was retried in March this year.
He was then found guilty of murder and ordered to serve another 12 years in prison.
Much to the distress of Neville's former partner Denise Johnson and his daughters Lindsay Johnson and Kirsty Dunn, Harrison appealed against the conviction.
However, after initially being told no decision would be made until the new year, this week Denise was informed his appeal had failed and he would remain behind bars for the duration of his sentence.
She said: "We are absolutely over the moon – ecstatic.
"That's it now. He can't appeal again.
"It's just what we wanted for Christmas."
The couple had split up, but remained "really, really close" during Neville's regular trips to Newlyn, near Penzance, after his work as a fisherman in Grimsby dried up.
They had even been discussing getting back together just days before the attack.
Instead, Denise was left to receive a devastating phone call from Humberside Police at 7pm on New Year's Eve, telling her Neville had been seriously hurt and it was not believed he would survive.
Denise added: "Knowing he had appealed opened all the old wounds again when we were finally getting back on track.
"Knowing that he's staying in prison is like having a weight lifted off my shoulders."
