Police hunt attacker who left student blind (From Daily Echo)
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Police hunt attacker who left student almost totally blind in Southampton
7:42am Friday 18th May 2012 in Southampton
By Jenny Makin, Crime Reporter
Varenka Guillermoprieto, left, on the night she was attacked, with fellow victims Samantha Weller (front) and Lucy Gooch (far right).
POLICE today renewed their hunt for the attacker who left a Southampton student blind – one year on.
Varenka Guillermoprieto and her two friends Lucy Gooch and Samantha Weller were victims of a vicious attack outside a Southamptn nightclub where they had attended a student night.
Varenka was punched in the head, triggering a stroke which has left her completely blind in one eye and with very little sight in the other.
Today, exactly one year on from the horrifying assault, nobody has been brought to justice for inflicting the life-changing injuries on Varenka, who is now aged 22.
But detectives are hoping a fresh appeal could finally help bring whoever was responsible before the courts.
The attack on the three friends happened around 12.40am on Wednesday May 18 outside POP in Vernon Walk, Southampton.
Detective Constable Anton Gaita who is investigating the crime, said: “So far no one has ever been charged with the assault on Varenka who suffered most. A punch to her head caused her to have a stroke and it has had a dramatic effect on her life as it has left her with very limited sight."
Anyone who saw the assaults or has any information about what happened is asked to call DC Gaita at Southampton Central Police Station on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A 21-year-old woman from Surrey has since been convicted of the assault on Samantha and Lucy, but she is understood to be appealing her conviction. A woman aged 20, from Merseyside, was also cautioned for assault concerning the same incident.
Comments(14)
Quite Frankly
says...
9:19am Fri 18 May 12
userds5050
says...
9:27am Fri 18 May 12
Quite Frankly wrote:It's Google adsense. It generates an ad relevant to the page content. As a result you often get insensitive ads.
And Echo, you may wish to review the placing of the optician advert in the body of the story.
mooky9
says...
10:09am Fri 18 May 12
Linesman wrote:Completely agree with you.
Anyone who knows who attacked her and does not inform the police is, in my opinion, as guilty as the attacker.
ToastyTea
says...
10:17am Fri 18 May 12
freemantlegirl2
says...
10:27am Fri 18 May 12
mooky9 wrote:Me too, the poor girl. Had everything to look forward to and that happened.
Linesman wrote:Completely agree with you.
Anyone who knows who attacked her and does not inform the police is, in my opinion, as guilty as the attacker.
I hope someone hands themselves in, or they get identified and quickly.
Smartiepants
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11:34am Fri 18 May 12
ToastyTea wrote:Animals don't tend to go round hitting people, scumbags do however.
Stories like this make me feel really sick and saddened that animals do this sort of thing to innocent people in our fine city.
peenut81
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1:07pm Fri 18 May 12
UncleF
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1:26pm Fri 18 May 12
espanuel
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1:35pm Fri 18 May 12
arthur dalyrimple
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7:23pm Fri 18 May 12
Bovine_Cannibal
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11:19pm Fri 18 May 12
BillyTheKid
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2:51am Sat 19 May 12
They sometimes get up to 30 years or more in prison - their whole life. If ever there was a good reason to re-introduce the death penalty for taking the life of another gratuitously........
.
yellowcard
says...
12:45am Mon 21 May 12
Linesman says...
9:00am Fri 18 May 12