Ben Cohen ‘haunted’ by death of his father who was brutally beaten by gang

26 September 2023 , 09:22

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Ben Cohen bravely spoke about his father's tragic death

Ben Cohen has said he is “haunted” by the tragic death of his father who was brutally beaten by a gang in a nightclub more than 20 years ago.

The 45-year-old former rugby international spoke candidly about his father Peter Cohen in the new ITV two-part series Grand Slammers, and revealed he’s been scarred by the tragedy which happened back in 2000. Ben’s father was beaten up at the Eternity nightclub in Northampton - which was owned by his eldest son Justin - while trying to break up a brawl, and was hospitalised after the assault. Peter was in intensive care after suffering serious head injuries, and sadly died just four weeks later from a blood clot, while Ben was preparing for a rugby match against Australia. The rugby player was told by coach Clive Woodward that his father had passed away during a radio interview, and he was driven to his family home by teammate Matt Dawson.

Peter was in a coma for three weeks, and had recently regained consciousness, but his condition deteriorated. Three men were arrested following the deadly assault, and in 2002, they were jailed for violent disorder, but were acquitted by the judge of manslaughter. The new two-part series on ITV, which sees players from the England rugby team that won the 2003 World Cup try to train up a team of inmates to play against Australia, showed Ben discussing his father’s death, as he spoke candidly about the lasting effects of his grief.

Ben Cohen ‘haunted’ by death of his father who was brutally beaten by gang eiqtirirtinv

Ben with his beloved dad Peter, who died in 2000 (ITV)

Looking at photos of the attackers, who have since been freed, on his phone, Ben began: “These guys started a fight, my dad tried to stop it and they beat him to an inch of his life. I got called in to go to hospital, and then, pretty much the last conversation I had with my dad. He died a month later of his injuries. They got done for violent disorder in the end, they got three years, I think and they were out in 18 months. Was it a long enough sentence? No. Of course not. 'I hope it haunts them for the rest of their life because it has me.”

Ben Cohen ‘haunted’ by death of his father who was brutally beaten by gang

The former rugby star said he's still deeply affected by his father's death (ITV)

While it took strength to take part in the programme, which sees him working closely with prisoners, he was thinking of how his father would be encouraging him to move on. “All of this kind of stuff going through my head, you can let it chew you up, you can let it spit you out. I know one thing that my dad would want me to do, is keep looking forward. ‘Don't keep looking back, son,’” he sadly explained. Ben was intrigued to see how the prison system works, and after having first-hand experience, he wanted to help inmates to find a “different path” once they’d been released. “I was interested to see how rugby could be used to help the prisoners find a different/positive path, and generate a sense of belonging. I was also attracted to the prospect of getting together with my old teammates,” Ben shared, as he admitted he was impressed to see “the prisoners grow and work together as a team.”