It would be remiss of this space not to comment on the vigilant staff of the Hywel Dda area who acted swiftly to alert police after a woman presented at Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth with a stab would.
The woman arrived at the hospital with a deep cut to her leg and claimed it was caused by a falling knife, medical staff were concerned something wasn’t right.
The wound was serious, and the patient appeared nervous when talking about what had happened, raising suspicions of doctors.
Her account – that a knife had fallen off a counter, cutting her leg – did not correlate with the level of injury she had sustained, and vigilant staff contacted police.
After several attempts to speak to the patient alone, Dyfed-Powys Police officers made the decision to arrest her partner, Alfie Jack Field.
DI Sam Gregory said: “The victim continued to provide an account to officers that felt prepared and unrealistic in comparison to the injury she’d sustained, which was a 5cm deep wound to her upper leg.
“By arresting her partner, specially trained domestic abuse officers could engage with the victim and gain her confidence. After some time she opened up and disclosed that Alfie Field had in fact stabbed her with a knife.
“Her injury was so serious that she needed a blood transfusion, but until Field was in custody she was too afraid to say anything.”
Field, of Pontrhydfendigaid, admitted to wounding without intent and threatening a person with an offensive weapon or bladed article in a private place when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court. He was sentenced this week to a total of two years in prison, and was handed a five year restraining order.
Well done to the staff at the hospital.
But this incident also serves as a timely reminder that we all have a part to play in ending domestic abuse.
If you suspect that someone is being abused, speak up. It’s better to be wrong — not dead.