Innocent stroll home became worst night of victim’s life
THE young woman subjected to a terrifying late-night assault in Wexford town said she’s alive because of her neighbour who shouted at her attacker, scaring him off.
‘I owe my life to my neighbour, who shouted out that night and at her shout and disturbance, my attacker got off me and ran as fast as he could. I’m alive because of her and I count my blessings that the unimaginable and what was inevitable, didn’t happen,’ said Amy Hayes in a Victim Impact Statement before Wexford Circuit Court.
Ms Hayes had been viciously set upon by Lithuanian national Mindaugas Dvarvitis as she walked the short distance home after a night out in Wexford last December.
Her harrowing Victim Impact Statement recalled the ‘pure horror and trauma’ of the nightmare attack which left her battered and bruised.
‘My brain always shifts to what was actually done to me when I was lying on the ground that night. Maybe it’s a good thing my memories of the beating are slightly vague, perhaps my mind is protecting me from a tale of pure horror, or the pure trauma will not allow my mind go there right now,’ said Ms Hayes.
‘I’ll never forget glancing at myself in the hospital mirror for the first time. It wasn’t me. I looked like I belonged in a horror movie. Endless tears and an overwhelming feeling that I will never get over this.’
Ms Hayes said that what happened will forever haunt her, but that she won’t let it ‘ruin’ her.
‘I’ll never get back what I’ve lost from that night but I’m still here, alive and breathing. My body has been weakened, my mind destroyed by horrible vivid images and my world is different as I once knew it. I’m no longer safe wherever I go. I can never go for a walk by myself at night time. I can’t go to a nightclub without the fear of something happening to me. I can’t work late at night or too early in the morning. I’m totally and utterly limited now in my daily life,’ she said.
‘I’m still me I suppose, but not the me that I once was. That has been taken from me and I’ll never get it back.’
She says that after the attack, the consultant at St. James’s Hospital in Dublin was shocked at the extent of the bruising and swelling to her face.
‘My jaw on the left hand side was fractured and my head and face had serious swelling all over. I was informed it would take over six months for my jaw to heal and weeks before I would be able to eat properly, as the pain was so severe.’
‘ The probability of me having to have an operation completed in the future is very high, as there is a bone totally protruding out on one side and it’s causing me serious pain and nasal congestion all the time.
‘ The one thing that has caused me unbelievable depression and anxiety, is the fear of encountering the man who did this to me. I have lost my fate in people in a sense. I don’t view the world in the same way. I’ve been darkened in my soul and have had my eyes opened to what people are capable of doing. A young woman just minding her own business and on my way home from my Christmas work party, after such a fun and happy event. Christmas will never be the same for me again and this makes me increasingly sad as it has always been my favourite time of year.
‘ The attack has impacted our entire community. Everyone was, and still is, utterly gobsmacked by what has occurred. It’s nothing anyone could have imagined happening here and it has opened everyone’s eyes to the reality of life, for people are now fearful of things they would never have thought of before.
‘I can no longer close my eyes like I used to and drift off to my peaceful sleep, as now I’m haunted with flashbacks, reliving the night over and over again. What began as a wonderful night with friends, ending with an innocent trip to my local chip shop and a five minute stroll home, turned into the worst night of my life,’ she said.
• In a statement to this newspaper after the court hearing, Ms Hayes said: ‘ Today, justice prevailed and my attacker was sentenced for the horrific crime he inflicted upon me.
‘On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to the following: Án Garda Síochána, for your hard work and dedication to my case over the last 10 months - today’s outcome would never have come to fruition without your unwavering support. To the amazing staff in Wexford General Hospital and the paramedics that responded to the emergency call on the night of the attack.
‘ To the lady that shouted at my attacker to stop, your bravery saved my life - I will be forever indebted to you; thank you with all my heart.
‘Finally, thank you to all the people of Wexford for your support and well wishes - I was overwhelmed with the love and generosity that was shown.
‘With today’s proceedings complete, I can finally start to move on with my life and look forward to the future.’