Glassing victim feels let down by police

A pistillate has said she inactive has anxiousness astir going out, a twelvemonth aft an alleged glassing onslaught successful a pub near her with a caput injury.

Celyn Williams, from Tonteg adjacent Pontypridd, said she looked similar a quality from a fearfulness movie aft she was attacked successful a pub brew plot successful September 2023.

The 21-year-old and her household said they felt fto down by constabulary who investigated the lawsuit and had "no faith" successful the strategy arsenic victims.

South Wales Police said it acknowledges the disappointment and strives to enactment the unfortunate astatine the bosom of immoderate investigation.

Warning: This communicative contains graphic images

For Celyn, the infinitesimal she was deed with a solid is inactive wide successful her caput - her look turning lukewarm aft feeling a portion thrown astatine her.

"I thought I was embarrassed but it was my humor which warmed maine and I looked down and determination was conscionable humor pouring everywhere, I could sensation it successful my mouth," she said.

"I couldn't spot decently due to the fact that determination was each humor successful my eyes - it was scary."

Her mother, Emma, said she couldn't judge it erstwhile she saw her girl caput to ft covered successful humor aft receiving a telephone to prime her up and instrumentality her to hospital.

As Celyn returned location to her "heartbroken" household aft the incident, they were visited by 2 "wonderful" and "thorough" officers from South Wales Police who gave them anticipation that the alleged attacker, who Celyn was capable to name, could beryllium brought to justice.

"The content we were fixed was 'let america bash our jobs, you person thing to interest about'," said Emma.

But arsenic the weeks and months went on, the household became frustrated astatine the investigation, including what they person said was a deficiency of contact, with the household regularly chasing for updates, lone to beryllium near for agelong periods without callbacks.

"I felt similar I was being told off," Celyn recalled of 1 speech with different officer.

"We felt similar we were the criminals and they were moving against us, similar we were truthful inconvenient and a discarded of their time."

After the household raised concerns, the unit did people an entreaty for witnesses successful the wintertime of 2023.

In April 2024, 7 months aft the attack, the household were yet told that constabulary would not beryllium taking the lawsuit guardant owed to a deficiency of witnesses and mediocre prime CCTV.

They asked to spot the CCTV connected 2 occasions but person ne'er been capable to bash so.

"We consciousness truthful fto down by the radical who are expected to beryllium support us," explained Emma.

In May, the family's solicitor asked for a reappraisal of the police's determination not to complaint the suspect, arsenic portion of the Victims' Right to Review (VRR) Scheme.

South Wales Police said it would update the household with the effect of the reappraisal by the extremity of July 2024 but Celyn and Emma are inactive awaiting a response.

"It makes you consciousness similar you are making a opus and creation implicit thing - it's not nothing," said Celyn, who present feels determination would beryllium "no point" going to the constabulary successful future.

"I conscionable privation her to person justness - I privation her to beryllium capable to locomotion retired of present with her caput held precocious and beryllium capable to accidental 'you did wrong, you did a atrocious happening to maine but I person travel retired connected top'," added Emma.

A twelvemonth on, Celyn inactive has occasional symptom successful her caput but the intelligence interaction remains.

"I get tense going retired - I person been retired 3 times since it happened," she said.

"I utilized to spell retired each weekend."

Emma added: "She's 21, she should beryllium surviving her champion life.

"This has traumatised her. I wouldn't privation anyone other to person to spell done it - to person to combat truthful hard erstwhile you are the unfortunate of a horrific crime."

South Wales Police said it acknowledged the disappointment of Celyn and her family

"We strive to enactment the unfortunate astatine the bosom of immoderate probe and it is disappointing erstwhile a affirmative result is not achieved for them," said Superintendent Michelle Conquer.

"A Victim's Right to Review is present underway for this matter. This is being conducted by an autarkic serviceman who has not been progressive with the lawsuit previously, to guarantee a thorough nonsubjective review.

"We volition guarantee the unfortunate is afloat updated upon its completion.

“We apologise for the hold successful this process. We volition guarantee the unfortunate is afloat updated upon its completion.”