​“How could this happen to our grandfather?”

That is the message from the family of a dementia sufferer who suffered horrendous facial injuries after he was believed to have been knocked unconscious.

Pensioner Tony Sysum, 75, was walking back home from feeding the birds when he was believed to have been attacked.

Last night Mr Sysum left bed-bound with stitches to his face, bruising and a suspected broken jaw.

His son Anthony, 48, said: “He is very bad. When I first looked at him I thought he must have been hit by a car.

“He was just walking back from feeding the birds which he does every day.”

Police are investigating the incident to discover whether Mr Sysum was attacked.

Anthony added: “He has stitches in his face, he is black and blue and they still aren’t sure if he has broken his jaw.

“He is on morphine because he is in so much pain and he is in a bad way.

“Everyone knows him around here.”

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The father-of-three and grandfather-of-two was diagnosed with dementia eight years ago and lives in Bazeley Road, Matson with his wife Marjorie, 72.

He was found lying in the street by a passer-by, who contacted his family and the emergency services.

Mr Sysum, a founder member of Matson Rugby Club, was then taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital by ambulance.

His daughter Jackie, 51, said: “For many years he kept the grounds at the church as a volunteer and now he isn’t up to that, he feeds the birds.

“He goes every day, as that is as much as he can do with his dementia. He was just walking back.

“He can’t communicate properly with his dementia.

“It is bad enough for any pensioner, but for someone who has dementia it is even worse as he can’t communicate and doesn’t know why it is so painful.

“It has really affected the whole family.

“I am worried that his dementia will deteriorate after this because anything can knock him back.”

Mr Sysum was walking back from feeding the birds at St Katharine's Church in Matson Lane at around noon on Saturday when the incident took place.

Jackie added: “He is a very gentle and sociable man and I just can’t believe that it has happened.

“We would like to say thank you to the neighbours that helped him, we don’t know what we would have happened otherwise.

“Everyone has been so kind and we just hope the police find out what happened.”

Anyone with information can call police on 0845 090 1234, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident 178 of February 20.

*A 34 year-old man from Matson was arrested shortly after the incident on suspicion of ABH and was last night in police custody.