North Shields man woke up thinking it was 2013 after being left unconscious at Wallsend Metro

A man has woken up thinking he was in 2013 after he was found unconscious at a Metro station.

Thomas Ross, who suffered a bleed on the brain, has no idea what happened to him or why.

The 51-year-old was found with a head injury on the platform in Wallsend earlier this month.

He was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) where medics discovered he had suffered a bleed on the brain.

His family, who are asking anyone who knows what happened to him to come forward, say he may never recover.

Joanne Bennett, his sister, said: "It's been a terrible shock. We just don't know what's happened. If anybody knows anything please go to the police. We want justice and we need answers."

"We want to know who's done this to him."

She added: "Thomas is a down to earth person. He loves going for a drink and loves going fishing. He would never cause any trouble.

"It's just really frustrating because we don't know how it's happened."

Mr Ross, from North Shields, worked as a cleaner until he was recently forced to retire for health reasons. He was always in regular contact with his family, so they became concerned when they did not hear from him.

"Thomas' friend was ringing him and he didn't answer the phone so we started to get a bit concerned", Ms Bennett, 56, said. "I sent my son Nathan to his house to have a look round and they couldn't see him so they phoned the police and they said he's in the RVI."

When she went to the hospital she discovered her brother had been brought in days earlier after being found unconscious and he was on a high dependency ward.

"He's had a bleed on his brain," she said. "He's just totally confused. He thought it was 2013, he's a totally different person. It's just awful to see. It must be really scary for him.

"We just don't know how he's going to be or if he will recover."

Police say they went to Wallsend Metro Station at around 10:45pm on Saturday 4 March, after the North East Ambulance Service reported a man had been found lying unconscious on the platform with a suspected head wound.

Officers have described his injuries as "potentially life-changing" and are appealing for witnesses.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said: "An investigation is now ongoing into the incident, including CCTV enquiries, and officers are appealing for any witnesses or those with information to come forward.

"Officers believe several people may have witnessed the incident and are urging those with any information to come forward."

Anyone with any information is asked to call Northumbria Police on 101 quoting crime number 028179V/23 or email 3138@northumbria.police.uk.

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