A RETIRED Kidderminster police officer who was flown home from Thailand following a horror motorcycle crash, has died more than two years after he was left paralysed.

Bob Anthony passed away surrounded by his family on July 7, aged 57, nearly three years after his accident in 2014.

The crash broke his neck and left him breathing through a ventilator via a tracheotomy in a Thai hospital. But Bob was finally brought back to the UK in January 2015 after six weeks of fundraising and appeals in the Shuttle by his family – who managed to raise £17,000 from donations.

Mr Anthony emigrated to Thailand two years before his crash, after he retired from West Mercia Police. He had also served in the Royal Signals for 14 years before becoming a police officer.

He was married to Kate, and had a son and a daughter, Steven and Nadine, from a previous marriage. Bob also had three grandchildren - Gabriella, 10, Dominic, seven, and Madison, two.

His daughter, Nadine, contacted the Shuttle in December 2014 for help to raise the money to fly him home from Thailand for lifesaving treatment.

Bob came home from hospital in Oswestry in December 2015 and was cared for at home by his children and wife in the last couple of weeks of his life.

She said: “My dad was caring, funny and loved to travel the world.

“He was also in the army and went into the police force in Kidderminster, where he retired after more than 15 years in the force.

“He then emigrated to Thailand with his wife, Kate, where the accident changed the whole family’s life forever.

“Bob broke his neck which resulted in paralysis from the shoulders down. He was in critical condition so a big fundraising campaign launched to raise £20,000 to get him back to the UK.

“Bob did well with his recovery – he was determined, but unfortunately, his life was cut short at the age of 57 on July 7. He passed away with his family around him.”

Nadine added: “Bob was always determined and wouldn’t let anything defeat him and he was such a strong, caring, funny person, who did everything he could to make everyone happy. He was a devoted husband and father.

“I would like to thank everyone who donated for my dad to get him back to the UK – without people’s kindness my dad would not have had the two and a half years with us.

“I am so thankful that the public helped get him home, I am ever so grateful.”