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A father has been left blinded after a gang beat him senseless before throwing his two-year-old daughter out of her pram.
The 35-year-old was walking his daughters home from school when he was beaten black and blue.
And not content with assaulting the father of four, the yobs also tipped his two-year-old daughter out of her pushchair.
The attack has left the man so frightened that he cannot leave his home.
He said: 'It has left me in such a state. I can't speak to anybody and I can't stand having people around me.
'My little girl is not sleeping, she's wetting the bed and she keeps talking about what the 'bad boys' did to daddy's face.'
Doctors say he may never regain the sight in his right eye but there is a chance the cells could repair themselves.
The unprovoked assault happened in a underpass opposite the Willows pub in St Mellons, Cardiff, at around 3.30pm last Thursday.
The victim, too terrified to be identified, had collected his eight-year-old daughter from Oakfield Primary School, with his younger daughter in a pushchair.
As they headed into the underpass, he noticed a gang of boys.
'They looked like they had been drinking and they started shouting abuse - really nasty words like 'four eyes' because I wear glasses,' he said.
'I went to one side and put my head down but they started to follow us.'
Sensing there was going to be trouble, he sent his 16-year-old son ahead to get help.
'They started punching my head and face and one pushed the pushchair over. My daughter was knocked flying.
'I went down on one knee and they just carried on punching.
'My glasses came off and was vision was blurred. I couldn't see a thing.'
As well as the damage to his eye, he also needed stitches in his lip.
Kate Hughes, RNIB Cymru spokeswoman, said: 'It's absolutely shocking that such a thing could happen.
'It will be very important for this man to have his family around him for support.
'It can be disorientating. You can lose the independence you've had and have to re-work ways of doing things.
'There are ways to adjust your life, but it does take time. There are many groups that can help him, like the Cardiff Institute for the Blind.'
Can you help?
Two Good Samaritans came to the rescue of the victim's two-year-old daughter.
But they could also have vital information about the attacker.
Police are now appealing for the two schoolgirls to come forward. After the toddler was thrown out of her pushchair, they picked her up and took her home.
'I don't know who they are but I would like to say thank you,' said the petrified victim.
Acting Detective Inspector Dorian Lloyd, at Rumney CID, said: 'This was a totally unprovoked attack which was made worse by the fact it was witnessed by his two young daughters.'
The suspects are all white, aged 16 to 17 and thin. Two had blonde hair brushed back, one was slightly cross eyed. The third boy had black flat short hair.
Anyone with information should call Rumney police on 029 2022 2111 or Crime- stoppers on 0800 555 111. |