British charity worker left blind after King Cobra bite has completely lost use of legs, brother says

A British man left blind after he was bitten by a venomous King Cobra in India last year has now reportedly lost the use of both legs.

Ian Jones, 49, spent days in intensive care after he was bitten by the snake in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in the north-west of the country in November 2020.

The charity CEO, who was bitten while suffering from coronavirus, was left paralysed in his legs and completely blind.

He had been discharged from hospital and in December an update on a GoFundMe page set up to raise funds to cover his medical costs and transport home said he had returned to the UK, but his brother has now said that he has completely lost the use of both of his legs.

Mark Jones told The Sun his brother's outlook was "very bleak", saying: "He had been starting to improve, but recently – a month or two ago – things took another turn for the worse and he has lost the use of his legs completely now. It’s very grim for him."

He said he had last spoken to his brother on his birthday in early May when he had told him he was unlikely to get the use of his legs back.

Jones, a former healthcare worker who lives on the Isle of Wight with his family, runs a charity-backed social enterprise called Sabirian, aimed at helping people out of poverty.

A GoFundMe page set up by Community Action Isle of Wight, which owns Sabirian, to raise funds to cover his medical costs and transport home has raised more than £20,000.

Jones had already suffered malaria, dengue fever and coronavirus, but was reportedly determined to stay in the country until he was bitten by the snake.

A colleague told The Sun Online that the snake bite had exacerbated his Covid symptoms, causing him to fall into a coma.

Watch: What UK government Covid-19 support is available?