A MAN who died after bravely stepping in to protect his friends during a robbery-gone-wrong has been named as Timothy Smith.

Mr Smith, 57, of Hockley, was pushed to the ground by two masked men- one of whom had a gun- when he returned from the pub with his wife to a friend’s house in The Drive, Hullbridge, late on Sunday.

A scuffle broke out, during which Mr Smith was pushed to the ground, where he hit his head on a low wall.

Although he was immediately knocked unconscious, the robbers callously forced the rest of the group into the house and stole cash.

Mr Smith was rushed to the specialist head injury unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridgeshire in a critical condition where he died on Tuesday.

The gun was not fired during the incident and nobody else was hurt.

Police have launched a manhunt for the robbers, who were wearing balaclavas and gloves.

Speaking on Tuesday as detectives launched a murder investigation, Det Chief Insp Martin Pasmore, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "This is an extremely tragic incident during which an innocent man lost his life.

"My thoughts are very much with his family and friends at this very difficult time.

"We have now launched a murder investigation and are treating this as an isolated, targeted incident.

"The victims had gone to The Anchor pub in Ferry Road for drinks, where they remained from around 6pm to 11pm.

"They then drove the short distance back to the address in The Drive, where the robbers approached them outside and forced them into the house. They then made demands, following which cash was handed over.

"From our enquiries so far, we understand that during the incident one of the suspects pushed the victim and he fell heavily onto a low level wall, causing a serious brain injury.”

He added: “"These men were clearly ready to use any level of violence necessary to achieve their aim and my team and I are determined to bring them to justice.

"I am keen to speak to anybody who saw anyone acting suspiciously in or near The Drive in the days leading up to the robbery.

"I also want to speak to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in or around The Drive or near The Anchor pub in Ferry Road between around 5pm and 11.15pm on Sunday.”