The vice-chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Denis Bradley, said yesterday he would remain in his position as planned until next April, despite suffering serious injury after an attack in a bar in Derry last month.
Mr Bradley, who made his first public appearance yesterday following the attack in the Brandywell area, said he would not be putting himself forward for re-appointment after April.
"I have been clear about that for the last four months and had stated so. I am getting old, the board should have new people coming in with new ideas and dynamics and energy, and I took that decision before I was attacked.
"But I intend to be very active on the board between now and April and I am leaving it for positive reasons", he said.
The most obvious physical sign at his press conference yesterday that Mr Bradley had been beaten about the head by a masked youth armed with a baseball bat was the 7½cm (3 inch) long scar above his right eye.
Mr Bradley, (59), said he had to speak with a bit of a lisp because he still had four stitches in his mouth since the attack.
Mr Bradley was attacked in Mailey's Bar in the Brandywell on September 20th. He had gone to the packed bar with his son Owen (17) to watch the televised Derry City - UCD League Cup final. Just before half-time during the game, his attacker struck, hitting him several times on the head.
"I didn't see anything. I was watching the television and the next thing I remember is staggering around the bar with blood coming from me. What surprised me is that I did not see it coming, even out of the side of my eye, I did not see anything at all.
"The person was in and out of the pub so fast I didn't see him. I have very little doubt that it was probably dissidents who organised it, who saw the advantage and did it.
"The police have told me they think it was a young person, possible as young as 16, who was in and out in a flash, and they also believe it was organised, that someone was behind it."
Mr Bradley said he believed that the name of his attacker would eventually become public.
When asked if he believed that it was an attempt on his life, he said: "I suppose I wish to think it was not.
"I think if I had been hit on a different part of the head it could have killed me, to be honest. One medic said had it been at the back of the head as opposed to the front, it could have killed me."
Mr Bradley said he would not expect the PSNI to "go out of their way" in terms of investigating the attack simply because of his position.
"The investigation will take time. I am only concerned that whoever hit me gets stopped from doing it to someone else."
He said he was sad that a 16- year-old is full of anger or bitterness, "but I know that that exists within our communities."
Mr Bradley said that on doctor's orders, he was "going away for two weeks" after which he would resume his policing board work.