A POLICE force has apologised to a teenage girl over a three-month delay in taking a statement over an incident in which she was savagely beaten by bullies.
Shauna Rooke, 13, has been referred for counselling over an attack in which she was kicked repeatedly by a group of bullies as she lay in the middle of a busy dual carriageway.
The teenager, from Bridgend, has spoken of how she feared she would be killed by the attack, saying: "I just thought I was gone.
"To be honest, I was close to death."
But despite the incident happening on December 3 last year, it took officers from South Wales Police until yesterday to speak to Shauna about it.
The force's Chief Inspector Stephen Jones yesterday apologised to Shauna and her family and said he was "bitterly disappointed in the progress which has been made in this case".
"We have met the victim's family and reassured them of our determination to bring the assailants to justice," he said.
"We are taking steps to arrest the suspects and bring the case to a speedy resolution.
"I can only apologise to the victim and her family for the lack of progress made to date and we will continue to support them throughout the rest of the investigation and beyond."
Shauna was treated in hospital for severe bruising after the attack, which is understood to have taken place at the hands three older girls over a dispute at school.
While her injuries have healed, she is still suffering the psychological scars of the attack.
"I have been feeling really depressed, I can't sleep properly and I don't really go out much anymore," she said.
"They (the police) have just really let me down. They have done nothing until now."
At around 3.45pm, shortly after Shauna left school on Friday, December 3, to walk to her home on the town's Wildmill estate, she was set upon as she crossed the A473 Cowbridge Road.
The three attackers pushed her into the road and started hitting her..
"They just randomly kicked me and pushed me onto the dual carriageway. They didn't say anything, they just kept kicking me," said Shauna, who lives with five younger brothers and sisters.
Once the attack had ended Shauna managed to call police on her mobile phone.
"But the police told her that she had to walk to the police station," said her mum Angela Rooke, 38 . "She walked to the police station in agony from the beating and it was only then that the police called an ambulance and told her that she would be interviewed at a later date."
Shauna was treated for severe bruising at the town's Princess of Wales Hospital.
"When they checked her over they said she had bruising to her ribs, over her arms and legs, and within a couple of days, the bruising started to come out more," said Mr Thomas.
"She was black, blue, purple and there were a few yellow bruises."
Having returned to school, Shauna was again targeted outside lessons, and on one occasion had to be driven home by police. But her father Robert Thomas said that even after the intervention by police at Brynteg School, an interview was not arranged until February 14.
Fifteen minutes before the video statement was due to be taken, officers rang and cancelled.
Mr Thomas was assured another appointment would be made, but heard nothing more.
"I am so angry that Shauna has had to go through the bullying, let alone to have been let down by the police," said Ms Rooke.
Shauna added: "I hope the girls will be caught and arrested. They shouldn't have done this."
