Agony of Skegness glass attack victim

Carl Benham lost his eye in a glassing at the Marine Boathouse in Skegness.by ANL-180105-090854001

Fourteen months after the incident at the Marine Boathouse in Skegness, 31-year-old Carl Benham says he is without a job and homeless.

His attacker, Amy Coleman, appeared at Lincoln Crown Court last week and denied she was the person who glassed him. But a jury found her guilty of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent to Mr Benham on February 25 last year.

Coleman, 30, of Mel Marshall Way, Wrangle, who is due to give birth next month, was granted bail to appear back before the Crown Court in June and told by Judge John Pini QC she faces ‘a substantial sentence’.

Asked by the Skegness Standard whether justice has been done, Mr Benham said: “I know I shouldn’t but I feel guilty.

“She (the attacker) is going to have a baby and probably spend just a couple of weeks with it and then go to jail for a long time. I have kids and I just feel bad

“I wish it was me going to jail because I’m at rock bottom - I have no job and I’ve lost my home.

“Every day I have to ring round to see whose sofa I can stay on that night - at least if I was in jail I’d have a bed.”

Mr Benham, who wants to stay living in the Skegness area, says he has suffered depression since the attack, not wanting to go out and finding it difficult to wait for hospital appointments and meetings with agencies that might be able to help him,

“My other eye has always been weaker and I’ve struggled with forms.

I don’t like waiting for appointments because I think people are looking at me - it’s been a problem.

”I missed the Victim Support payment for hardship, have no money, and have had no help. I have nothing.”