Girl tracked down attacker for police using Facebook

Jennifer Wilson, left, after the attack by Ashleigh Holliman, right
12 April 2012

A woman nearly blinded after she was smashed in the face with a glass today told how she tracked down her attacker on Facebook after a failed police investigation.

Jennifer Wilson was left lying on a night club dance floor with "blood shooting" from her wound after Ashleigh Holliman rammed a pint glass into her face in an unprovoked attack. The 20-year-old tanning salon receptionist suffered a gash just a centimetre below her left eye.

Holliman, 22, fled without being identified after bouncers failed to detain her. Police later said CCTV from the Walkabout bar in Watford, Hertfordshire, was not clear and evidence had been cleaned from the dance floor by staff.

But Miss Wilson, who has been left with an inch-long scar, took charge of the investigation herself and managed to find Holliman on Facebook.

Her attacker was with a male friend at the time of the March attack. Miss Wilson vaguely knew him from Facebook, so searched through 200 of his friends on the social networking site until she came across a photograph of Holliman.

Miss Wilson, from Oxhey, Hertfordshire, tracked down her address through a mutual friend on the site and then gave it to police. Holliman, of Croxley Green, was out when officers arrived and they then asked Miss Wilson if she could find out where she worked.

Miss Wilson went back onto Facebook and discovered she was a hairdresser.

Holliman was arrested at work the next day. Miss Wilson then picked her out from an identity parade.

Holliman admitted actual bodily harm at St Albans crown court last week and was sentenced to 120 hours community service. Miss Wilson was awarded £2,400. She said: "I had to do the police's job for them and track this girl down. I gave them all the information to find her but they even had the cheek to ask me to find out where she worked. You would expect the police to be able to find out someone's work address."

Miss Wilson, who spent two hours at Watford General Hospital following the attack, added: "This girl had been glaring at me all night. Then I was dancing with friends and she slammed the glass into my face. I remember putting my hand up to my face. I then realised she had really hurt me — there was blood shooting from the wound.

"I decided to try and track her down because I didn't deserve what she did."

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokeswoman said: "Police were called 2.10am on Saturday March 21 to reports that a 20-year-old girl had been assaulted at Walkabout bar in Watford Town Centre.

"The incident had happened at 12.45am that morning and the victim said she thought she knew who it was.

"She requested police go to see her after 9am later that day, once she was out of hospital.

"Officers did this. Prior to police attendance the victim had made enquiries of her own and tracked down the offender on Facebook. She passed this information on to officers.

"Meanwhile officers also conducted other investigations of the offence, including viewing CCTV at the bar and identifying witnesses who we interviewed.

"Officers followed up the lead of the named person and other leads before arresting a woman on April 1."

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