EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS Attacker given life sentence CINEMA Hellboy II: The Golden Army SPORT Subaru to run third car GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 The Dark Knight 2 14 off-licences fail checks 3 Update: Protest goes to London 4 OAP bus fares 'hard to bear' 5 Eye patient welcomes rethink 6 Louis is the destroyer 7 Gilly has point to prove 8 New wards open doors 9 Fired up for Army action 10 Boss feels for fans Today | 7 Days 1 Attacker given life sentence 2 Police seize 6,000 cars 3 Canal lock repaired

Comment

Justin Freeman

A man has died after spending six weeks fighting for his life following a car crash in Malaysia.

Justin Freeman's family had flown from Oxford to his bedside in Penang and had expected him to survive his serious injuries, before pneumonia claimed his life.

The Summertown-born 39-year-old's funeral will be held at Oxford Crematorium tomorrow.

The heavy metal fan, who had been working in Asia as a production manager for Witney-based Alden Press, had undergone extensive brain surgery after his car crashed into a tree in the Malaysian state on June 5.

His father Roger, mother Jenny, sister Melanie and partner of two years, Ling, were preparing for a bed to be made available at the John Radcliffe Hospital this month.

However, Mr Freeman's condition deteriorated rapidly and he was placed back on life support.

Angie Spendlove spoke to Mr Freeman on June 30. She said: "We had an air ambulance lined up. We knew it would be a long haul and that full recovery would take a couple of years, but he had come through all the surgery and had begun to recognise people.

"The last time I spoke to Justin was on my birthday over the telephone. His speech was slightly muffled, then there was a pause and I heard him say 'you're a star'.

"That was when I began to think 'maybe everything is going to be OK. It was unbelievable for him to have come this far and then to just be taken away from us.

"He really was such a huge, huge fighter. Somebody came over this week and said 'I can't say he was my best mate, but that's because he was everyone's best mate'."

Chris Coles worked with Mr Freeman, who died on July 8, for 15 years at Alden Press. He said: "I'd heard about the accident, but it looked like he was going to get better.

"There are a good number of us who worked with Justin who are going to go to the funeral, even people who haven't worked here for years."

The former Cutteslowe Primary School pupil attended Bishop Kirk School and Oxford Boys' School before winning a place at the London College of Printing, where he was named student of the year.

Mr Freeman's funeral is being held at Oxford Crematorium at 11.15am. His coffin will be decorated with his beloved Tintin cartoon books, copies of Kerrang music magazine and Salvador Dali prints.

6:18pm Thursday 24th July 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login