A 22-year-old out celebrating his anniversary was having a very ordinary night until he woke up in the back room of a Swansea nightclub, surrounded by door staff and cradling a bucket filled with his own blood.
Jonathan Maxfield had been punched in an "unprovoked attack" that knocked his two front teeth out, leaving him with a £6,000 dental bill. The young man also says he's been scared to leave his Swansea home since the attack last month.
According to WalesOnline, on March 12, the night of the Six Nations rugby match between Wales and France at the Principality Stadium, Jonathan had been out on the town with his 19-year-old girlfriend Leah. The pair were enjoying their evening together until they ended up in the cordoned off smoking area outside the Fiction & Vinyl nightclub on Little Wind Street, where Jonathan was attacked in the early hours of the following morning.
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"I've not long moved to Wales from Birmingham to be nearer Leah, who's studying at university in Swansea," said Jonathan, who works at a car showroom in Cardiff. "We'd gone out to celebrate our one-year anniversary together an the evening had been going great. Then, all of a sudden, it was lights out."
He said he has no clear memory about what had happened, coming around to find himself staring at the bucket which was collecting the blood dripping from his mouth. As well as his front teeth being knocked out, several others were damaged and he received cuts and bruises to his face and body.
"It all happened so quick I didn't see a thing, although Leah remembers one of the three blokes responsible for the attack being around 6ft 3" tall, of slim build, with light brown or blonde hair. He was also wearing a black T-shirt. There were definitely plenty of people around at the time though, including one girl who helped to comfort Leah who'd been really shaken up by the whole experience. I'm hoping that by speaking out it'll prompt those witnesses to come forward.
Jonathan said he'd since suffered with his mental health. "I've definitely become very nervous whenever leaving the house - which I've only really done in order to visit the dentist - because there was just no reason for what happened. Plus, because no-one's been ID'd, I'm constantly anxious of who's around me. And, on top of everything, I've been told it'll cost six grand to get them permanently replaced. I can't afford that.
"I'm the meantime I've been given a set of dentures - but I'm only 22 and don't want those for the rest of my life. I had to put up with wearing orthodontic braces as a teenager so, without wishing to sound big-headed, I had beautiful teeth before all this."
A spokesperson for South Wales Police said, "We were called just before 2.15am on Saturday, March 12, following reports that a man had been assaulted in Fiction, Swansea, and had his teeth knocked out. The 22-year-old man was with his girlfriend in the smoking area of Fiction when the assault happened. The suspect was described as being a white male, with either blonde or brown hair and was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt.
"Officers conducted a number of enquiries on the night, including viewing CCTV footage, however no suspect or witnesses were identified. Investigations are still ongoing into the incident and anyone that witnessed the assault is asked to contact us quoting the reference number 2200082190."
