Alcohol-related violence campaign: Case study 2

This shouldn’t have happened to anyone

In the early stages of pregnancy, and with a one-year-old at home, Stacey Williams spent three days in hospital willing her husband to recover from an assault.

Mrs Williams, from Llanelli, faced her worst nightmare when her husband Paul came home from a night out covered in blood and suffering serious head injuries.

Hearing doctors describe fractures and bleeds on the brain, Mrs Williams was left wondering if her husband would pull through – and if he did, what his prospect of a full recovery would be.

Speaking as part of Dyfed-Powys Police’s Just Walk Away campaign – which aims to tackle the growing issue of alcohol-related assaults – Mrs Williams has shared the impact of an assault on her family.

Her husband was one of 436 people who reported an assault where alcohol was a factor across Dyfed-Powys Police in the first six months of this year. Mr Williams spoke earlier in the campaign about the ongoing physical and emotional recovery he faces, but for each victim there is a family and friends whose lives have also been impacted.

Echoing her husband, Mrs Williams said she could never have predicted the huge effect the incident would have on their emotional wellbeing.

“It’s taken a toll on all of us,” Mrs Williams said. “At the time, our little boy had just turned one, and I was pregnant, so it was very hard.

“I kept thinking ‘why us?’ but I had to stay strong. I had to step up and be the father figure as well as a mother.

“Even now, it’s just as difficult as when he was in hospital. Having a newborn is not the easiest time anyway. Any parent will know that. The lack of sleep, and stress of it all is huge – so to be faced with this on top of it all is the last thing you would want.”

When Mr Williams got home the night he was assaulted, his wife was so shocked by his injuries that she thought he had been hit by a car. She phoned for an ambulance and spent three days with him in hospital waiting to find out if he would recover – and to what extent his life could go back to normal.

“He was in a bad way,” she said. “He was throwing up blood, and it was at that point we knew it was serious. We didn’t know the extent of the damage until he went to hospital.

“I didn’t leave his side. It was very upsetting to see him like that, and not know if he would pull through. When you hear doctors saying there are four bleeds on the brain, you know that’s not good.

“He had a close call.”

Through the campaign, police are highlighting the impact alcohol related assaults have on victims and their families. Mr and Mrs Williams hope that by sharing their experience, they can make people stop and think about the consequences of their actions.

“For Paul it has been awful,” Mrs Williams said. “He is a proud man, and having to ask for help is really hard for him. He’s had to give up his business dreams, and he’s lost his confidence. It’s just not him.

“I’m having flashbacks, and have to stop myself thinking about what could have happened. The thought of the kids losing their father is the worst of it.

“This isn’t something you’d want anyone to go through. It shouldn’t have happened to him. It shouldn’t happen to anyone.”

For information and support for dealing with alcohol and substance abuse, and violent behaviour click here or here