Covid: Cardiff woman 'cut by razor behind anti-mask poster'

Police are investigating the incident and said officers would be studying CCTV

A woman has reported to have been cut by a razor blade found glued to the back of a Covid misinformation poster, police have said.

Layla Stokes, 22, said she was in disbelief after screwing it up to find "a lot of blood coming out" of her hand.

The yellow anti-mask poster was found by a crossing in Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, on Tuesday evening.

South Wales Police is investigating the incident.

While out shopping in Canton, Ms Stokes said she noticed the poster "professing anti-Covid rubbish" so decided to take it down and replace with "something better later".

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Ms Stokes is a sticker artist and said she makes them for "all types of purposes", one of which being to "fight the tide of misinformation".

Ms Stokes says she was "angry" to see the misinformation poster

Layla Stokes says she suffered "a thoroughly deep cut"

She said she was in "disbelief" at what was stuck to the back.

"I thought that blades behind stickers was an urban myth and I couldn't believe it actually happened to me."

She said she ran home to clean the "thoroughly deep cut" and has now seen a doctor to test the cut for diseases.

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Ms Stokes said she received a mixed reaction on Twitter: "On one side we've had people saying, 'I hope your hand heals up quickly' but others have said I 'deserve it - you should eat the razor blade' and some people have said I have lied about it.

"My feeling on that is if you want to say something and put it on a sticker, I'm not going to stop you, but don't make it so that it's going to hurt somebody. That could have been a child."

Layla Stokes says some people do not believe that she was injured removing the sticker

South Wales Police said officers have been assigned to investigate and would be exploring CCTV.

It said the incident was reported at 16:00 BST on Wednesday, so the investigation was in the "very early stages".

Update on 30 November 2021: South Wales Police has confirmed to BBC Wales that it is no longer investigating this case and no further action has been taken.