Wales rugby star Cory Hill among men who damaged woman's home
- Published
Cory Hill, wearing the red cap, played for Cardiff Blues - now Cardiff Rugby - before joining a club in Japan
A woman said she feared for her and her children's lives after men, including Wales rugby international Cory Hill, damaged her home in the early hours.
She said South Wales Police officers made her feel like an "inconvenience" following the disturbance in Rhondda Cynon Taf in May.
The force said it was investigating a complaint.
A representative for Mr Hill said he had made a full and remorseful apology through Cardiff Rugby and the police.
BBC Wales has learned Cardiff Rugby and the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) were made aware of the incident at the time.
It is understood former Cardiff and Dragons player, and Wales international, was "under the influence of alcohol" and accompanied by two other men.
There is no connection between Mr Hill, 29, and the woman. A representative for Mr Hill said the group went "to the wrong property".
Sara - who did not wish to give her real name - said she did not want to be identified for fear of any backlash.
"What I could hear was glass smashing against the upstairs windows and this most horrific banging sound at the front door," she said.
"The floor was shaking under my feet, I could feel the vibrations.
"It sounded to me, at the time, as if there was a sledge-hammer being taken to my front door. At the same time there was the sound of broken glass coming from the top floor windows, so it was really disorientating."
'Sara' says she feared "something really horrific was going to happen"
She said her baby was screaming and her eldest child was "distraught" and asked: "Mammy, are there people trying to get us?"
She told her eldest child to take the baby and "hide in the bedroom" because she believed "something really horrific was going to happen".
Sara said she feared "somebody was coming to kill us" and believed the disturbance lasted for about 15 minutes.
She added: "The outside of my house looked like the aftermath of an explosion - glass everywhere."
It is understood Mr Hill was not responsible for throwing any glass bottles.
'Attempting to formally arrest these men, was a waste of time'
Sara said police officers attended the incident quickly, but felt the attitude of some officers changed when they realised one of the men was Mr Hill.
She said: "That was when everything changed in terms of their response.
"The police made it very clear to me that attempting to take this to court, attempting to formally arrest these men, was a waste of time.
"I was having the sense that it would be an inconvenience and ostensibly that nothing would happen."
According to Sara, one of the men in the group attempted to clean up outside the house, at the suggestion of police.
It was also suggested she swap telephone numbers with the same individual to "sort out" the damage caused.
'Minimised what happened'
Sara said she was also handed £100 by the same man, who said it was for "you and the children", which she said was observed by a police officer.
BBC Wales has seen text messages from one of the men involved in the incident insisting he returned to apologise.
Sara said she had received direct apologies from two of the men involved but only indirect apologies from Mr Hill.
South Wales Police said the incident had been dealt with through "community resolution".
Sara said she accepted she had agreed to the approach taken by police on the night, but now felt it should have been handled differently.
She has made a complaint against the force to its professional standards department.
She said: "I feel like they minimised and mollified what had happened to us to such an extent that they treated this as if these grown men were a group of 15-year-olds, who had walked home from youth club one night and pushed my bin over in the street."
The WRU says it endorses the investigation by Cardiff Rugby
In June, it was revealed Mr Hill had been released from the Wales summer squad and would leave Cardiff Blues, now named Cardiff Rugby, to play abroad after receiving an offer he "couldn't refuse".
He now plays for the Japanese club Yokohama Cannon Eagles.
Emails seen by BBC Wales from Cardiff and the WRU from early June showed club and country were made aware of the incident.
Cardiff officials said the club had undertaken an investigation and spoken to Mr Hill at a disciplinary meeting.
"We are all very sorry to hear what your children and yourself experienced - and hope you are now at ease in your home," the club told Sara.
'Entirely out of character'
They said Mr Hill's actions were "entirely out of character" and he was "extremely remorseful for the part he played".
The club stated the player fully accepted that behaviour "was not in line with that of a professional sportsperson and did not reflect Cardiff Rugby's cultural values".
A spokesman added: "While clearly under the influence of alcohol - we have warned Cory around his future conduct and liaised with the WRU, who are aware of the incident, and he would like to unreservedly apologise to you."
In a statement, Cardiff Rugby said a "full internal investigation took place".
"The player in question is no longer an employee of Cardiff Rugby. However, as you will appreciate, we cannot and do not comment publicly on internal employment matters," said the club.
The WRU confirmed the matter had been investigated by Cardiff Rugby as a disciplinary matter, and it endorsed the club's response.
However, Sara said she was disappointed the incident was not publicly recognised, and believed what has happened to her had been "dismissed" and "covered up".
She said: "The impact this has had on me physically and mentally has been quite significant."
She said her youngest child now screams when the front door is knocked.
"My child is still sleeping in bed with me, I cannot get my child to go back", she said.
She said she was disappointed Mr Hill has been allowed to continue a "lucrative career in another country".
She added: "The themes that come up are around power and status, and how, if you have power and status and you are involved in sports, you can pretty much do what you want - and I feel like that's the message they have communicated to any young boy that wants to grow up to be a rugby player."
Complaint inquiry ongoing
South Wales Police confirmed a man in his late 20s had admitted causing damage to a property, and apologised and paid for the damage.
A decision to deal with the matter in an "out of court disposal order" was agreed by the victim at the time of the incident, said the force.
"Community resolutions are an opportunity for the police to deal with appropriate offences where an individual accepts full responsibility and are consistent with national policies and guidance," added Ch Insp Anthony Moyle.
The senior officer said, following the incident, police became aware the victim "was not satisfied" with the resolution and a man voluntarily attended a police station, where a decision was taken to refer him to a scheme to focus on his behaviour.
"We can confirm that we have since received a complaint from the victim which is being investigated and until this process is complete we cannot comment further," he added.
"But there are clearly aspects of the investigation which do not entirely meet the expectations of the victim and we will work with her to address concerns and provide further context around officer actions and the restorative approach taken.
"Anything which falls below the high standards we expect from officers will be addressed, and any learnings which can help improve the service we provide will be put in place."
Cory Hill is "genuinely sincerely sorry", says his representative
Speaking on behalf of Mr Hill, his representative said he and the other men involved "sincerely apologise for their genuine mistake in going to the wrong property, for the damage and any distress caused to the occupiers of the property".
He added: "Mr Hill has at all times fully co-operated with Cardiff Rugby, who were his employers at the time, the WRU and the police who all investigated the incident and took the appropriate action deemed necessary".
The representative said Mr Hill did attempt to contact the occupier of the property to apologise directly and he had "made a full remorseful apology to the occupier via Cardiff Ruby, and via the police."
"It was a mistake, and Mr Hill is genuinely sincerely sorry for being involved in the incident and any distress caused," he added.
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