A grandma has been left in hospital after being badly beaten up during a trip to the funfair. Dorothy McIntosh was pulled to the ground by her hair and kicked repeatedly in the 'random and unprovoked' attack, her family say.
Dorothy, 79, was at the funfair in the seaside town of Porthcawl with her daughter Amanda and granddaughter having a fun-filled day out in the sun when she was allegedly set upon by a man who was believed to have been there with carers.
Dorothy has been told she won't be able to walk for at least six weeks. Amanda, who is still in shock after seeing her mother screaming and writhing on the floor in agony, and her sisters are now calling for answers as to what happened.
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South Wales Police have confirmed they are investigating and are going through CCTV footage to work out what happened, Wales Onlne reports.
Amanda said her mum, who is from Bridgend and goes to Porthcawl most weekends, had gone to get a cup of coffee while she watched her daughter and a friend on one of the rides.
"We were having a lovely day out and the girls were having fun on the ride," she said. "The sun was beating down so mum said she would go and get a coffee and have a sit down because her back was a bit sore. I said we would come and find her, but five minutes later I got a call from her phone."
"I thought she was just going to ask if I wanted a coffee too, but it wasn't mum on the other end of the phone. It was a stranger asking if I was Amanda and saying that my mum had been injured and I needed to get there straightaway.
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"I have never run so fast and what confronted me was horrific. My mum was lying on the floor screaming in agony.. There was blood and she was screaming uncontrollably.".
Amanda said that she saw a man being wrestled into a nearby van by around four security guards, but that the family have not been given any information about where the van was from. It's not been confirmed if the incidents were connected.
"There was a woman who apparently intervened in the alleged attack," Amanda. "She was the one who phoned me and told me she had been waiting at a nearby counter when she heard screaming.
"She saw my mum lying on the floor and then saw that he kicked her while she was on the ground. She stepped in and tried to drag him away from my mum. She is like a guardian angel."
Amanda's sister Rebecca came to the scene after being called and they got their mother to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend where she is being treated for a broken knee
She said: "Mum was pulled to the ground by her hair and kicked repeatedly. One lovely lady came forward and helped guard my mother whilst the male tried to go in again further kicking her. The attack was totally random and unprovoked, and we have no idea who the male is or where he is from. Three males then pinned the male down."
"My mother has a broken knee and cuts and grazes and is not in a good way as she was convinced the male was going to kill her. Her leg is in a brace and she will not be able to walk for a minimum of six weeks."
Amanda added: "I stayed around and tried to speak to as many people as possible. I don't think what actually happened hit me until I got home and got the children to bed. I am shaking like a leaf and can't get what I saw out of my head.
"My poor mum did not deserve this. She is only tiny and she could have been killed." The family are also hoping that any other witnesses will come forward.
A statement from police said: "South Wales Police was called just before 1.40pm yesterday afternoon, Sunday May 12, with a report of an assault on Eastern Promenade, Porthcawl. A 79-year-old woman from Bridgend was taken to hospital."
"Inquiries are continuing, including the review of CCTV imagery, to ascertain the full circumstances behind the incident."
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