Nightmares of mum glassed in face by stranger

A mum who was glassed in the face by a stranger in a bar bathroom says she still has “flashbacks and nightmares”.

Natalie Arthurs, 36, from Swansea, was attacked in the city centre's Peppermint in November 2022 while out with a friend.

She said it forever changed her “outlook and perspective on life”.

Ms Arthurs believes drinks should be served in plastic cups and has joined forces with Leeds Rhinos rugby league academy player Matthew Syron, who was also glassed.

Warning: This article contains an image some readers may find distressing

Natalie, a former cleaner, was out for the day with her friend enjoying Beaujolais Day, the third Thursday in November, when Swansea - like many areas of France - celebrates the arrival of the first bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau.

Her life changed in an instant.

As she stood in the bathroom of Swansea's Peppermint bar reapplying her make-up, she was set upon.

“I knew instantly it was a glass because you could feel the cold sharpness of it cutting at my face.”

She said she then remembers catching a first sight of her face in the mirror and seeing her “cheek hanging off”.

Ms Arthurs recalled how her friend Jenna was “screaming in terror” as the glass came towards her again.

The first attack slashed her cheek, with the second causing lacerations to her shoulder and chest.

“At that point I just remember fight or flight mode kicking in,” said Ms Arthurs, who tried to defend herself as she was “pushed and grabbed” by the woman.

The doormen of the premises removed the offender as they waited for police, leaving her in “a horror scene” with the floor “covered in blood”.

“I knew it was bad,” she said, “but didn’t know how bad.”

Ms Arthurs was taken to Morriston Hospital in Swansea by her parents after they were told an ambulance would take between five and six hours.

After an operation on her face lasting almost four hours, she was finally able to see her daughter Skyla, who was six at the time.

Ms Arthurs said her little girl was “tearful and scared” when she first saw her face, while her parents were also impacted by the attack on their daughter.

“Even though it happened to me, I don’t like seeing other people hurt because of it.”

More than a year later, Emily Williams, 25, from Carmarthenshire, was jailed for five years for the assault.

Ms Arthurs said: “Every night before I go to sleep, I do think of the attack. I still have constant flashbacks and nightmares.”

She has experienced “many different emotions” but in the past few weeks has had a “different outlook and attitude”.

“I feel like if I hold onto the anger, I’m the only one who is going to suffer. I’d rather be happy and positive and try and move on with my life.”

Despite her positivity, she said she has lost her independence and does not feel safe working alone as a cleaner in “big buildings full of people” she does not know.

She has also left her role as an Army reservist.

While she is “accepting the scar” on her face and moving away from thinking negatively about it, she does not think she will “ever feel beautiful” again.

“I’m thankful that I’m still here and I’m OK,” she said.

She is determined to see her mental health improve with time: “I’m a victim of a crime but I don’t want to act like a victim.”

She is supporting a petition set up by another victim of a glass attack calling for pubs and bars to serve drinks in plastic cups late at night.

Former rugby player Matthew Syron remains unable to see after he was also attacked by a stranger while visiting Leeds from Australia.

Mr Syron, a father of two, called glass "a deadly weapon that needs to go".

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, said the "industry had done a lot of work" around the safety of serving drinks and assessing risk.

"The primary concern for us is obviously just making sure that people are safe," he said, adding that many venues already use polycarbonate cups.

"We've got to work towards creating a much safer environment."