Grandfather’s Death: Family Seeks Closure Two Years After Incident

A family reports experiencing “no closure” two years subsequent to the death of a grandfather, which occurred after an altercation outside his residence. Brian Gatley was discovered collapsed on Samphire Street in Port Clarence, Stockton-on-Tees, on the evening of November 28 and passed away in hospital two days thereafter. Authorities initiated a murder investigation, leading to the arrest of seven individuals at the time in relation to the incident; however, no charges have been brought concerning the 61-year-old’s demise. Following a two-year period, Mr. Gatley’s family and Cleveland Police have jointly issued a renewed public appeal for information. Law enforcement officials stated that Mr. Gatley had engaged in a dispute with a group of individuals outside his residence that night, and his window had been broken. The police force further reported that an earlier incident occurred that evening on Hatfield Road, Billingham, which is thought to have involved some of the same individuals, resulting in damage to a house and the assault of another man. Mr. Gatley’s family expressed that “Big Bri” was missed “so much.” The family stated, “Some of Bri’s grandkids never got to meet their grandad, and without knowing what really happened to him, we cannot explain this to all the kids and we can’t have any closure.” They also mentioned that his absence would be felt even more acutely during Christmas, as “it was a big time for him” and he traditionally hosted the family on Christmas Day. The family further appealed, “As we head towards Christmas as a family, without Big Bri again, we want to ask anyone who has any information at all to please tell the police. “Please help our family get the answers we need to try and move forward and get some closure.” DCI Karen Naunton commented that police believed “Brian died at the hands of others” and were “determined to find out exactly what happened that night.” She additionally stated, “Two years is a long, long time for a grieving family to wait to get some answers.” Individuals possessing information or who witnessed the events are requested to contact Cleveland Police. Information regarding BBC Tees’ presence on X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram is available, and story ideas can be sent to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright for this content is held by BBC 2024, with all rights reserved. The BBC states it is not accountable for the material on external sites and details its policy on external linking.