Woman befriends attacker who hit her over the head with a bottle

Lisa Reid had been unable to tell her family about her attack

A woman who was injured during a robbery at a cash machine is helping to reform the life of her attacker.

Lisa Reid was left bruised and with cuts on her face after she was hit on the head with a glass bottle by a man who then snatched £90 from her.

She has since befriended him in prison through a scheme which aims to put an end to reoffending.

Ms Reid was attacked in Darlaston, West Midlands, in 2019 and says her attacker was not the monster she had thought.

She said she still vividly remembers the morning the attack unfolded while she was withdrawing cash.

"I felt a sharp pain then I saw a hand reach for the money, it lasted just seconds but it felt like it was such a long time.

"It was my mental health that suffered more than my physical health."

Afterwards she said she began to feel "lost" and developed a fear of strangers but agreed to join the scheme as she wanted to understand why she had been targeted.

Her attacker had asked her how it had affected her family and she told him she had been unable to share the details with her mum who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer.

"He saw that there are consequences, there was a ripple effect, it affected my daughter, she didn't want me to come out of the house," she said.

"He saw me as a person and not a means to an end - that was the most powerful thing.

"He became quite emotional and upset, I think it was self-reflection for him.

"I was the only person in his life that cared and was championing him to do better."

Nearly £250,000 a year is being invested by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in the Restorative Justice scheme, which is run in the West Midlands by Remedi.

Since April it has worked with 82 victims and 42 offenders, the PCC has said.

Andy Wadley says he has had the chance to meet and be forgiven by some of his burglary victims

Andy Wadley, from Northfield, was in and out of prison for 15 years to fund his drug habit. Two-and-a-half years ago he received a probation order which included the offer to join the programme.

He said: "I wanted to show my victims that I am not a monster and I wasn't out to cause harm, I just wanted to fund my drug habit."

PCC Simon Foster added: "I'm always pleased to hear about success stories like these.

"This is exactly why I fund the Restorative Justice programme."

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