Bottle Attack Woman Wins Compensation

A 20 year old woman has won her 18 month battle for compensation after being attacked with a bottle while enjoying Christmas drinks with friends. 
 
Hayley Foster, who was 18 at the time the attack took place on Christmas Eve 2007, was enjoying a night out with her partner Aaron when a fight started in the Fir Tree Pub in Reddish.  
 
The Stockport woman received a blow to the head from a bottle and suffered lacerations, including a deep cut above her left eye.  
 
Miss Foster stated that when the police turned up they only took down basic details of what happened and did not take away CCTV footage of the attack. When Miss Foster tried to claim compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority, her claim was dismissed twice because the police said that she had not cooperated with them and that her injuries were the result of an accident, not a crime.  
 
Miss Foster eventually turned to Pannone, a Manchester based law firm, to help her with her claim and her solicitor, Simon Quinn, said:  
 
"Hayley had her first two applications rejected because it was said she didn't cooperate with the police and that her injuries were the result of an accident, not a violent crime. Fortunately, we were able to argue her case successfully a third time and she was awarded £1,500 for what was a violent and totally unprovoked attack in which she received serious injuries."  
 
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "It was apparent a mass brawl had taken place and no witnesses or victims came forward to report a crime. Had Miss Foster done so, GMP would've investigated fully. In this case, officers asked Miss Foster how she came to have her injuries but she was unable to explain to them. Their main concern was that she receive treatment for her injuries so officers called her an ambulance, took her name and date of birth and ensured she went off to hospital. Greater Manchester Police takes all reports of crime extremely seriously and everything possible is done to support the victims."  
 
Miss Foster states that she was in a state of shock when the police arrived and just wanted to get to hospital for treatment and commented:  
 
"As to whether it was an accident, the man who hit me lashed out like a lunatic and I bore the full force of his attack. It was no accident, he meant to hit someone. Unfortunately, it was an innocent bystander."  
 
Miss Foster now has a scar on her head which is sometimes painful.