Attack victim's two year fight

Ms Carmichael will never be able to drive again

A 38-year-old Herefordshire woman has moved into a specially adapted house to resume an independent life, two years after a brutal attack left her badly injured.

Clare Carmichael was beaten unconscious and left for dead at her home in Kinton, near Lentwardine, on 28 September 2001.

She spent six months in Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth II Hospital and had to learn how to speak, walk, read and write again.

The mother-of-two has been forced to admit some things will never be the same again.

"I know I will never be the person I was before the attack, I have accepted that and I think I know my limitations," she said.

Fought back

"However with the support of my family and friends I have fought back to independence, which is what I always wanted, and this makes me feel very happy."

Ms Carmichael is still undergoing physiotherapy and is seeing a consultant at Queen Elizabeth Hospital which is likely to continue for some time.

"Before the attack, I was constantly on the go," she said.

Clare has made a remarkable recovery and we would like to wish her well as she continues to improve DI Dave Morgan

"I had my two boys in education locally and spent most of my time running a tight schedule around them, which of course I loved."

Despite widespread media coverage at the time and a reconstruction on the BBC's Crimewatch programme, nobody has ever been caught.

Although Ms Carmichael remembers very little about the attack, she has been able to say that her attacker was white and aged between 25 and 40.

Detective Inspector Dave Morgan, deputy head of the West Mercia Police team investigating the incident, said the attack was being treated as attempted murder.

"Clare has made a remarkable recovery and we would like to wish her well as she continues to improve," he said.

"I would also like to stress that this investigation remains open and we would urge anyone with information to contact us."