Dad unable to speak after suspected Thailand attack 'making steady progress'

A WELSH father fighting for his life in Thailand after an alleged assault led to a bleed on his brain is making “very steady progress”, his family said.

- JONATHON HILL

Ashton Jones, 29, from Cwmbran, flew out to Bangkok on May 30 for a holiday with friends, but went missing in the early hours of June 3. He was later found at Chonburi Hospital on a life-support machine.

Ashton, a father of two, then underwent emergency brain surgery during which a large portion of his skull had to be removed.

Almost a month later, he remains unable to speak properly and is interacting with his family with eye movements, noises and facial expressions.

Family friend Angela Roden Shepherd, speaking on behalf of the family, said: “He’s making very steady progress. The next move is to get him back into the rehabilitation place he originally was in before he got a lung infection.

“To put into context just how miraculous a recovery Ashton has made so far, [his father] Darren was actually asked if he wanted to put a ‘do not resuscitate order’ on Ashton just a week ago.