A Serious Assault Case

Caroline’s world was turned upside down when Simon, her partner, was punched in the face and knocked to the ground as he walked home from a night out. Simon suffered catastrophic head and brain injuries which have left him unable to talk or walk and being totally dependent on nursing care.

Caroline met the person responsible as part of the restorative justice programme. Her driving force behind meeting him was a simple one: to ask ‘why?’. Caroline said: “I asked why he had done it. He said he was like a raging bull. Simon had done nothing wrong.” Caroline wasn’t with her partner when it happened, she wanted to ask the one person who knew what really happened.

“My thoughts were right. He (the offender) openly admitted that Simon hadn’t done anything.” She said she was pleased she had gone through the process, which gave her the chance to explain the traumatic impact it had had on her on her family.

“I felt a lot better,” she said. “It has given me a little bit of closure; Simon would have done nothing to provoke him.” During their meeting, Caroline showed the offender pictures of Simon’s injuries.

“He had to digest who Simon was before,” Caroline said. “He looked mortified at what he had done. Restorative Justice kept saying ‘is there anything you want to say to Caroline?’ and he kept saying ‘I’m sorry for what I have done’.”

“He did say ‘If there’s anything I can do when I get out (of prison) then I would do’. I said he needs 24-hour care for the rest of his life, whatever life he has got left, there’s nothing you would be able to do.” Caroline said that, despite his repeated apologies, ‘sorry’ will not change things and their lives have been forever ruined.

If you are interested in finding out more about how Restorative Justice might help you and you are based in West Yorkshire, please give us a call on 0800 783 1550 or email us at rjwestyorkshire@restorativesolutions.org.uk and we will be glad to help you.