WA father Brodie Stokes will struggle to get on with ‘normal’ life after alleged assault causes brain damage

A WA father-of-three who fell into a coma after he was allegedly attacked during a fight outside his property will struggle to resume “normal” life due to his serious injuries.

Brodie Stokes, 43, suffered brain damage, skull fractures and brain swelling after he was allegedly cowardly punched by 22-year-old Kade David Duthie in early May.

Mr Duthrie has since been charged with causing grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged Mr Duthie was driving his Toyota LandCruiser and confronted the young man and his passenger outside Mr Stokes’ Deepdale property on May 15, asking them to stop “hanging on”.

Police claimed CCTV footage showed Mr Stokes approaching the pair, then Mr Duthie delivering a single punch to Mr Stokes’ head, causing Mr Stokes to fall and hit his head on the ground.

Mr Duthie’s lawyer claimed in court that during the alleged altercation Mr Stokes attacked him three times and then threw a single punch in self-defence.

Since the date of the alleged attack, Mr Stokes has been in the Royal Perth Hospital’s intensive care unit but is said to be in a stable condition after weeks of fighting for his life.

The court was told Mr Stokes would not be the same after the incident and would find it difficult to resume “normal” life.

A GoFundMe page was set up by a relative of Mr Stokes after the alleged incident, which has raised almost $30,000 to date.

The relative said Mr Stokes suffered a brain injury and was subjected to an induced intervention.

His family said Mr Stokes was the kind of person who always helped others without hesitation.

“Brodie is a loving husband, father, son and friend who means so much to everyone around him…he needs our help now more than ever,” they said.

“Every donation, prayer and share means the world to our family and gives us strength and hope during this critical time.”

Mr Duthie will appear in court again on June 18.