High heels used in hundreds of violent attacks across the UK
New figures from almost half the UK's police forces show stiletto heels have been used as weapons in hundreds of assaults in recent years
They may seem an unlikely weapon, but stiletto heels are brandished in hundreds of violent attacks, new figures reveal.
Police forces across the UK say they are dealing with scores of incidents involving women using the vertiginous footwear in assaults.
One victim, who lost an eye in a vicious encounter during a night out, said her life was ‘ruined’ by the assault and her attacker has yet to be caught.
Katrina Coucill, 29, from Bolton, was blinded in her left eye and said she lost her job in the aftermath of the attack.
She added: “I was off work for a year and did not go out of the house. I wasn't the person I was. I had depression and panic attacks.”
Stilettos have been linked to nearly 150 violent incidents since 2013, according to responses from 21 of Britain’s 44 police forces following a Freedom of Information request.
The true figure is likely to be at least double, as the remaining forces said they could not provide the data.
Merseyside emerged as the capital of stiletto attacks, with 43 recorded over the past three years.
They include the case of Amy Sundve, 30, who launched an unprovoked attack on a stranger who stopped to ask if she was ok after she was thrown out of a Liverpool pub during a two-day birthday drinking session.
She was jailed for 10 months in October last year, after leaving the male victim scarred for life.
The attack was one of several in the region which prompted a senior policeman to warn revellers about the potential for the heels to be used as weapons.
Among a total of 147 high-heel attacks, there were seven in Durham and five in Cumbria.
The narrow-pointed heels, some of which are tipped with metal, can become a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands and can cause lasting damage to victims.
No comments:
Post a Comment