Deborah Askew, 60, from Broadgreen, said she thought she was going to die after being attacked by a man in care during a day out with her three-year-old grandson at Acorn Farm in Kirkby. The man, who was at the farm with three carers, pulled her by the hair and repeatedly banged her head on the ground, just metres from the little boy.
Attack at the farm
Ms Askew told the ECHO she had been sitting on a log bench giving her grandson snacks after a morning of petting the animals. Four people sat down on a bench around 3m away, before one of them came over and stood in front of them. She said: "He came over and asked my grandson's name but I couldn't really understand him. He was only about a metre away and started doing star jumps and sprinting away and then coming back. My grandson asked me what he was doing. He lives in St Helens so I told him the man was doing some rugby exercises."
The ECHO understands this man was actually one of the carers, while Ms Askew claimed a second carer walked away from the benches to use his phone. As she reached down to pick something up off the ground, she felt a "massive hand" grab her by the scalp and drag her off the bench. The man - around 6ft 5in and nearing 20 stone - climbed on top of her and bounced her head up and down.
Ms Askew said she wanted to scream but looked over at her grandson to reassure him. "I knew if I shouted he would try to help me," she added, her voice cracking. "He was absolutely huge. There was nothing I could have done...I wondered if it was a terrorist attack. I thought I was going to die."
Police investigation
Help arrived and the attack ended as quickly as it had started. Ms Askew said the farm manager told her the perpetrator was a vulnerable adult who needed three-to-one care. She was asked if she wanted to call the police but did not want to relive it in front of her grandson. She went to a walk-in centre for treatment on the same day. "I was absolutely shaking," she said. "I still have that feeling now."
Ms Askew reported the incident to the police that evening. A female police officer came to her home the following day and asked if she would provide a statement, but told her that because of the nature of the incident the suspect might not be able to be criminally prosecuted. Ms Askew said she had been left for extended periods without an update from police. The ECHO understands conversations between police and the care company to arrange an interview have been unsuccessful, with an email seen by the ECHO stating the care company said it would be "too hard" due to his complex needs.
A Merseyside Police spokesperson told the ECHO: "We can confirm that an investigation is ongoing following an assault in Kirkby last month. At around 11am on Tuesday, August 11, a woman in her 60s was assaulted by a man at Acorn Farm, resulting in her being grabbed and dragged to the ground by her hair. She later attended a walk-in centre and we remain in contact to offer support. Enquiries are ongoing and a potential suspect has been identified and will voluntarily attend for questioning."
Safeguarding concerns
With a background in education, particularly safeguarding, Ms Askew has questioned what steps were taken by the care company. She said: "Was there a pre-site visit because he was a vulnerable person? Does he have a history of this, why was he there in the first place. We used to tell everyone to write things down so everything was documented. All of this has gone through my mind."
Ms Askew's bruises have faded, but the emotional impact continues. She has had counselling sessions but struggles because of how raw the incident is. She said: "People call and ask how I am and I just say that I'm good, but I should set boundaries and say I'm not quite ready. It makes me worried because I ask how many times has something like this happened? He is clearly unpredictable so what was he doing at a farm? I dread to think what could have happened if my grandson got involved."
