A former gunner in the RAF Regiment has been awarded a record �2m compensation after an unprovoked attack in a pub left him partially paralysed.

Gavin Jones, 28, was described by his father as a "genuine action man" before the attack, which has left him needing constant care for the rest of his life.

Solicitor Steve Ireland, of law firm Irwin Mitchell, who represented Mr Jones, said the award from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board will be used to buy a bungalow and pay for virtually round-the-clock care.

"It will go some way to helping Gavin improve the quality of his life following this appalling attack," he said.

The Gulf War veteran, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, was home on Christmas leave in early January 1995 when he went to a pub in Crewe, Cheshire, with some friends.

'Outdoor life'

The attack took place after he was approached by three men asking for cigarettes.

When he refused, one of them struck him on the back of the head. He was knocked to the ground and although he later went to his parents' house, his mother found him unconscious in the middle of the night and he was rushed to hospital.

He is now in a wheelchair, having suffered a skull fracture and brain damage which led to him being paralysed down one side of his body.

And he has been discharged from the RAF and will never be able to work again.

"He was a real action man before this happened," said his father Brian. "He was a super swimmer and loved to go climbing and mountaineering. He loved the outdoor life.

'Fighting back'

"Words cannot describe what we have gone through. Everything he loved has been taken away from him and he will never be independent again."

The claim was lodged before 1996, when changes to criminal injuries compensation capped payments at �500,000. Mr Ireland said that had the application been lodged after 1996 the award would have been far lower.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Board said the previous highest payment was for �1.65m.

Mr Jones, who is single is writing a book of his struggle to recover from the attack, entitled: Fighting Back - A Soldier's Story.