A self-employed man who suffered severe head injuries after being attacked by security guards has been awarded injury compensation after help from solicitor Anthony Welsh.
The bricklayer, Ian de-Schoolmeester from Bridgend, was attacked after he and a group of friends were told to leave a branch of McDonalds in Cardiff, in December 2010. The security staff, who were subcontracted from RAS Securities by McDonalds, punched Mr de-Schoolmeester and threw him to the ground with such force that he required emergency hospital treatment, including brain surgery. He has recovered steadily following the attack and has now returned to work, but the injuries are likely to have on-going consequences including mental fatigue.
A security guard who was prosecuted following the attack escaped conviction due to insufficient evidence or witness statements. The judge criticised the failure of the police to bring more prosecutions. Mr de-Schoolmeester instructed solicitors to claim for injury compensation – arguing that RAS Securities was responsible for its employees’ appalling behaviour. RAS Securities settled the compensation claim out of court.
Solicitor Anthony Welsh said: “RAS Securities have a responsibility to ensure its staff are properly trained, do not abuse their position and behave appropriately when dealing with people, whatever the circumstances. It is shocking that one of its security teams can have so lost their collective self control that one of them nearly killed my client. And while his attacker goes unpunished, Ian has to try to rebuild his life as best he can while living forever with the impact of the assault.
”This compensation does not make up for the extensive injuries our client has suffered or the promising future he has lost but we hope it provides some sense of justice.
