My terrified boy, 7, watched stranger brutally attack me on shopping trip – how can broken care system let this happen?

I WAS viciously assaulted last Sunday by a random stranger while shopping with my seven-year-old son. Ever since, I’ve felt shocked and also very relieved that we are both still alive. Jane Atkinson was viciously assaulted by a random stranger during a trip to Stockport’s adidas Outlet Store Credit: Google In 2019 at the Tate Modern, a six-year-old lad was hurled from an outdoor viewing platform by Jonty Bravery Credit: PA But mostly, what I cannot escape is how angry I feel. Not at the strong woman who lunged at me out of nowhere, repeatedly pounding her fist on to my head with full force while giving my son, who was beside me, a haunting vision he will probably never forget. No, I am angry at the so-called care company who were supposed to be looking after her. They allowed this clearly troubled woman — who was non-verbal, wore calming ear defenders and, it turned out, had attacked before — to go to a busy shopping complex with carers who were not trained to restrain her. And even if they had been trained, they still couldn’t have touched her because she had never been formally assessed for restraint. They watched as she, firstly, screamed in agony while repeatedly battering her own head against a wall in Stockport’s adidas Outlet Store until her forehead was bleeding. Then stood back as she tried to do the same to mine. I was lucky to escape with bruises, an injured wrist and her blood on me. How can this be safe, or fair, for anybody? Nobody should be brought out into the community who presents a potential risk to the public without adequate carers who can deal with the dangers. How the care company bosses allowed this trip out is beyond me. I know my son and I are both left traumatised. I wonder if this woman, who they are supposed to care for, is too? The only positive is that my son saw how I eventually pushed her off me, turned and ran to get us both out of harm’s way with the help of the kind-hearted shop staff. A three-year-old boy was seriously injured in Cambridgeshire after allegedly being thrown into a crocodile pit Credit: SWNS A woman has been charged after four people were attacked in Covent Garden on Wednesday Credit: SWNS He now knows it is essential to eat at least some vegetables and do exercise. But if she’d hit another part of my head, had a weapon or, God forbid, chosen to take it out on him — or a more frail shopper — there would not be a single positive to this. Our new Prime Minister has just pledged a major overhaul of England’s adult social care system. My experience shows why getting it right cannot wait, or we will all continue to be at risk. Days later a woman went on a violent rampage in London, stabbing people at random with a pair of scissors. The Met Police called this an “isolated, mental health incident”. But thanks to our broken care system, these incidents are not so isolated, are they? Just weeks ago, a three-year-old boy was seriously injured in Cambridgeshire after allegedly being thrown into a crocodile pit. The suspect in that case reportedly has learning difficulties and had also been on a trip escorted by carers. In 2019 at the Tate Modern, a six-year-old lad was hurled from an outdoor viewing platform and received life-changing injuries. Autistic Jonty Bravery was jailed for life. Both those victims were simply enjoying family outings, too. All my son wanted to do that day was get his first ever pair of football boots in that warehouse-style shop, where the lights are bright, the noise echoes and there’s a slightly claustrophobic feel because the only windows are ten feet up from the ground. Somewhere that woman clearly felt uncomfortable. You enter and leave through a dark hallway. That’s where she attacked me, minutes after her self-harming episode. I had no idea she was even in there. Her two carers hadn’t thought to warn anybody. Afterwards, one young carer said they’d just fancied a “nice day out”, the resident was prone to “episodes” and needed her “medication”. When her boss at the social care company, which looks after people with complex needs, learning disabilities, autism and mental health conditions, rang to apologise, she said the resident had attacked before, was “unpredictable” and her episodes came with “no trigger, no warning signs”. She explained: “We are not allowed to physically restrain or put hands on, just guide and manage the situation.” Which was evidently impossible. She went on: “Unless the carers are trained to restrain, they’re not allowed to restrain.” Because she had only attacked paid staff before, she’d not even “been assessed to be restrained”. They didn’t believe it was “needed”. My headache says otherwise. I hope now she will be assessed so she can enjoy days out with appropriate care. This woman has been failed. My son and I were failed. So too were those carers. The morning after the attack, my confused son asked: “Are you angry with that woman yet, Mummy?” The answer was still: “No.” I am angry with a system that keeps failing those people who really need care. It’s time for change. Because the next family may not be as lucky as mine. JESUS WHAT A MESS! An insurance company refused to cover a motorist with ‘Jesus Love You’ signage on his card Credit: Christian Legal Centre INSURANCE companies are money-grabbing thieves, aren’t they? Well here’s one that didn’t want money and is still getting grief. When motorist Simeon Chandra asked GoSkippy to insure his lilac Nissan Pixo, they refused. Not because of his slightly odd choice of car but because of his “Jesus Loves You” stickers slapped on the side of it. The Christian owner was “shocked and upset” that they told him to remove the stickers or find different insurers. Really? I say, good on them. What does he expect? He’s made a ridiculous looking car an absolute spectacle. 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