A GRANDMOTHER who suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung after being attacked by a pregnant stranger at a funeral wake has expressed her shock and anger that her assailant avoided prison.
Belinda Stickland, 65, was attending the wake of a friend’s partner at the Conservative Club in Splott, Cardiff, when 39-year-old Danielle Oliver, a mother of three, launched an unprovoked attack.
Ms Stickland was left with severe injuries, including breathing difficulties, and says her life will never be the same following the incident on 9 June 2024.
Oliver, who was 22 weeks pregnant at the time, was sentenced in July at Cardiff Crown Court to 66 weeks in prison, suspended for two years.
“I am disgusted at the sentence,” said Ms Stickland, a grandmother of 14. “She has walked free while I continue to live with the consequences.”
Recalling the attack, Ms Stickland described the moment as “all hell broke loose.” She said: “I felt a hard punch to the side of my head. Pain tore through my face and the next thing I knew I was on the floor, dazed and completely disorientated. I genuinely believed I was going to die.”
With help from her partner, Rob, she managed to stagger to her feet amid the chaos. “People were gathering around me, there was a real commotion. I looked up and I saw a woman screaming hysterically at me. Staff had to virtually drag her out of the exit. I’d never seen her before; she was a complete stranger, and I had no idea why she had punched me.”
Ms Stickland lost consciousness on the way to Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales, waking days later in intensive care. Doctors confirmed she had suffered five broken ribs on her right side, a fractured rib on her left, and a punctured lung. “They told me I was very lucky to be alive,” she said.
Her daughters were at her bedside throughout her 12-day hospital stay. “They didn’t know if I was going to die,” she added. Already living with arthritis, a heart condition, and having undergone two hip replacements, Ms Stickland said the attack compounded an already challenging life.
“This woman was a complete stranger. I had absolutely no idea why she would want to hurt me. She is now woven into my everyday life. I will never be the same again. I won’t even go to the supermarket alone anymore. Danielle Oliver has never apologised or shown any remorse. I could have died that day, and I am still in a lot of pain.”
CCTV footage from the club identified Oliver, who was arrested two days later. At sentencing, Judge Simon Mills warned of the far-reaching consequences of even brief acts of violence.
“Even brief incidents of violence can have catastrophic consequences,” he said. “Any idea that a single blow to the face doesn’t do any harm is completely wide of the mark. You could have faced prosecution for manslaughter. Momentary acts of violence can have truly catastrophic, sometimes fatal consequences. That has arguably been the case here.”
The judge acknowledged Oliver’s pregnancy and the need to adjust her medication but said the attack was a “completely wrong decision.”
