A MUCH-LOVED grandfather’s death was caused by drunken yobs who attacked him and his family, a coroner has ruled.

Frank Milligan was adding the finishing touches to a family-run cafe in Burgess Hill late on a Friday night.

Then a group of louts barged their way in and launched an “unnecessary and unprovoked” attack.

Mr Milligan had intervened to challenge them, but his family said his behaviour changed during the fracas, and almost immediately he was not himself.

The 63-year-old later collapsed at home with a stroke, and died at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton just days later.

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Three men were originally charged with his manslaughter, but the charge was dropped because prosecutors felt they couldn’t prove that the yobs had caused Mr Milligan’s brain haemorrhage.

But at his inquest yesterday, coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley said he died as a “direct result of the stress caused by the violent behaviour to which he and his family were subjected”.

It started on Friday, May 13 in 2016, when Mr Milligan’s daughter Natalie Cadman and his son’s partner Darren Wynne were at the Upmarket 22 shop and cafe in Church Road.

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Police were called after a group of drunk youngsters including Joshua Hewes, John Venn and Hayden Garratt were seen going down the street kicking shop windows and parked cars.

They then barged their way in, and the attack started.

After the attack, Mr Milligan’s behaviour suddenly changed. He was known as a proud family man who would confront antisocial behaviour.

But he became withdrawn and quiet, becoming distant from his family and struggling to even find the keys for his car. He forgot his mobile number which had for more than 20 years.

Doctors and experts said it couldn’t be ruled out that his stroke had already started at the cafe.

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The coroner noted that he took medication for hypertension and high blood pressure, which left him more liable to suffering a stroke.

But she said that in her view it was the attack which had caused the shock and stress which eventually led to his death.

She said: “He desperately tried to calm the situation, but suddenly ceased all his efforts.”

“There was a clear change at that moment. I believe that was the start of a relatively small bleed on his brain.”