Overview
- All 12 defendants are scheduled to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on 31 March 2026.
- Essex Police called the charges a significant milestone in a complex investigation and urged people to avoid commentary that could prejudice a fair trial.
- Simon Dobbin died in October 2020, five years after a violent assault outside the Railway Tavern in Southend-on-Sea following a Southend United vs Cambridge United match.
- A coroner linked his death to complications arising from hypoxic ischemic brain injury sustained in the 2015 attack.
- The CPS Complex Casework Unit reviewed extensive evidence with Essex Police and said the legal tests for manslaughter charges were met, while the coroner’s inquest remains paused pending the criminal case.