Man's fear after mystery attack

Ross Harrison was treated in hospital for five weeks after the attack.

A man left in a coma after being hit by a brick thrown from a scooter has spoken of his "stress" and "anger" at not knowing who targeted him.

Ross Harrison, 22, spent five weeks in hospital after the attack as he walked home at Swffryd, near Crumlin in Caerphilly county borough, in July.

Six months on, police are renewing an appeal for information about the scooter rider.

Mr Harrison says he is constantly worried about being attacked again.

"It's stress and anger mainly," he said.

"I suffer anger a lot, just lashing out on things in the house. It's hard to bear what happened to me really, and why did someone do that, such a horrible thing to me? What could I have done wrong, that bad, to deserve it?"

He said he cannot remember the attack, which happened at about 2340 GMT on 6 June as he returned from the pub with two friends.

I'm continuously looking over my shoulder, looking behind cars, looking in gardens, looking in sheds to see if there's anyone about Ross Harrison

They told him the scooter drove past him, scraping his leg, before travelling on for about a quarter of a mile. It then turned around and travelled back at about 30-40 mph before the rider threw a house brick at Mr Harrison.

He spent five weeks in the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff - two weeks in a coma - recovering from his injuries.

He has since developed epilepsy, which he said he did not have before the attack, and has metal plates inserted in his head.

Despite his physical recovery, he is still struggling to cope emotionally.

"I find it hard. I have a psychiatrist and people now trying to help me through it," he said.

"I just try to picture that day. I can guess, and guess, and guess, but I cannot see. I go back to the scene where it happened to me and it's just upsetting because I can't remember what happened.

Police have released a CCTV image of the scooter.

"I'm continually looking over my shoulder, looking behind cars, looking in gardens, looking in sheds to see if there's anyone about, obviously because they still haven't caught the person."

After the assault, police issued numerous appeals for information and released CCTV images of the scooter.

They also set up a road block and questioned more than 100 motorists, as well as pedestrians, a week after the assault.

Detective Inspector Ian Gough, of Gwent Police, said: "I now believe that, at the time, the person responsible travelled on their scooter from the Pontypool direction, along Hafodrynys road and into Swffryd Road where the attack took place," he said.

"I believe the offender regularly took this route. Perhaps they worked in the Pontypool area, somewhere nearby or alternatively in the other direction of Llanhilleth.

"It's possible that they worked an afternoon shift as a trawl of CCTV coverage shows the same bike travelling on Swffryd road at approximately 5.10pm on Wednesday, 4 June and then back along Swffryd road that night and the night of Thursday 5th June around the same time as the incident on 6th June - 11.40pm.

"What is crucial though is that since the assault this person has changed their habits - they no longer travel that route."

Anyone with information is asked to call Gwent Police on 01633 838111 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.