SEVERE injuries suffered by a much-loved gentle giant in an unprovoked attack in Bradford contributed indirectly to his death, an inquest heard today.

Keith Alder was beaten with a baseball bat and kicked unconscious during the brutal assault in October 2011, as he walked home from a charity night.

He suffered a string of medical problems as a result of the attack which forced him to have both legs amputated above the knee and 90 per cent of his bowel removed. He also dropped from about 16 stone at the time of the attack, to seven stone.

Despite the setbacks, Mr Alder – described as about 6ft 4in tall - tried to live as full a life as possible, going on holiday and getting his driving licence back.

However, 13 months after leaving hospital, he died, aged 68, on August 7, 2013, after suffering a stroke.

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Bradford coroner Martin Fleming, who described Mr Alder's attackers as "rabid human beings", concluded a narrative verdict at Bradford Coroner’s Court yesterday, and said: "On the balance of probabilities, I find that the injuries he sustained brought about significant immobility and made him more vulnerable to a stroke, and his injuries impaired any ability to recover."

However, he added: "I cannot find, so that I am sure, that injuries originally sustained as a result of the attack contributed significantly enough to his death to find a conclusion of killing."

Mr Fleming said a doctor was unable to link Mr Alder's injuries directly to his stroke.

Two of Mr Alder’s attackers, Ladislav Balaz and his uncle Bartolomej Makula, were jailed for 16 years and 15 years respectively for causing grievous bodily harm with intent.

Makula, who had been in Bradford less than a year, has been deported to Slovakia. Balaz, who had been in the Bradford area for about two years, will be deported in the near future. Both are expected to serve their full sentences.

The inquest heard that Mr Alder, who was born in Essex, was a highly-respected member of his local community. He was fit and healthy prior to the attack and a very keen match fisherman.

He was a roofer who had only just retired and lived with his wife Kath on Sowden Street, Great Horton.

After the attack and his hospital treatment, Mr Alder no longer wanted to live at the house where he and Kath had lived for about 40 years. They moved to a bungalow in Queensbury.

Detective Sergeant Karen Milner told the inquest that Mr Alder innocently walking home when he was confronted by a group of six or seven males close to his home at about 10.50pm on October 22, 2011.

Det Sgt Milner said the gang had been involved in an altercation with another group earlier in the evening, and that one had gone home “livid” and grabbed a baseball bat.

Mr Alder was hit in the ribs with the bat. He ran off towards his home but the gang gave chase, striking him on the back of the head with the bat as he got to his driveway.

Mr Alder went down and was then kicked in the head.

Det Sgt Milner said: “Mr Alder was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was nothing he did. He had never been in trouble in his life, or on that night.”

Mr Fleming said: “It was a cowardly and brutal attack.”

A statement from Mr Alder's son Paul was read out during the inquest, describing the devastation suffered by Mr Alder's family as a result of an "act of wickedness and cruelty".

The statement included: "The attack started at the top of his street and finished with dad lying in blood on his own driveway."

A statement from Mr Alder, read out in court, said: “I was looking forward to enjoying my life and the good things in life with my wife Kathleen.

“Our lives have been turned upside down. We have had to leave behind everything that was home and felt familiar to us.”