A MAN who was strangled with a pair of shoelaces at a caravan park in Towyn last year has said he still suffers from trauma from the incident after his attacker was jailed last week.

Kenneth Allford, 70, was attacked by complete stranger Scott Gorman, 50, of Ludlow Street, Liverpool, at Ty Mawr Caravan Park on October 27, 2023.

At Mold Crown Court on January 26, Gorman was jailed for 18 months, as well as being banned from attending the park or contacting Mr Allford for three years.

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But Mr Allford labelled Gorman’s sentence “disgusting”, adding that he still does not feel confident in returning to the park where he has owned a caravan for more than two decades.

He added that, since the attack, he has suffered from nightmares, struggles to sleep, and has been prescribed antidepressants.

Rhyl Journal: Scott Gorman, left, and the victim's injuriesScott Gorman, left, and the victim's injuries (Image: NWP/UGC)

Mr Allford said: “I still feel traumatised by it. I’m back and to at the doctors, and it makes me feel nervous about going back there (to Ty Mawr) with my partner.

“I’ve had a caravan there for 23 or 24 years, and had no physical trouble there whatsoever previously.

“I don’t feel safer at all. 18 months is disgusting, because he’ll likely be out in nine (serving prisoners typically spend the first half of their sentence in jail, and the second in the community on licence).

“I feel like he got away with it.”

Gorman approached Mr Allford and his partner on the night in question before starting an “uncomfortable” conversation in which he asked if the victim took drugs.

He later approached them again and sought to join their table, and was asked to leave.

Though he initially complied, he then went to the bathroom, where he was seen taking the laces from his shoes.

Gorman then wrapped the ends around his hands and tied the other ends together to fashion a ligature.

In front of many other revellers, as well as children, Gorman then approached the victim from behind and wrapped the laces around his neck.

He pulled with such force that the victim fell to the floor, where he was struck a few times.

Rhyl Journal: Kenneth Allford and his partnerKenneth Allford and his partner (Image: Kenneth Allford)

Mr Allford added that Gorman’s actions were, he felt, “pre-meditated”, having exhibited “very, very strange” behaviour that night already.

"I was very scared and I thought I might die,” he said in his victim statement.

He said he has since been accused of being a “grass” for reporting the matter to police.

In terms of physical injuries, he was left with a ligature wound in the middle of his neck, abrasions and scuffing to his face.

Though his physical injuries have largely healed, he said the mental scars persist, adding that the incident came not longer after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Mr Allford said: “I had lesions in my arms, and it took a few months for my back to get back in to place.

“I’ve been on painkillers for that, and it’s easing up now, but I’m still waking at 4am and 5am and jumping up.

“If it wasn’t for a security guard following him that night, I wouldn’t be alive.”

Following Gorman’s sentencing, Sergeant Kiera Williams said: “Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our communities.

“This attack on a person who was unknown to Gorman must have been a terrifying experience whilst on holiday on the area and I hope that today’s sentence reassures them that justice has been served.”

A spokesperson for Ty Mawr Holiday Park said: “The safety of everyone at Ty Mawr is our top priority and we take a zero-tolerance approach to any criminal activity.

“This was an isolated incident and we have taken steps to ensure that Mr Gorman and his family cannot stay at Ty Mawr again.

“This has been an understandably difficult time for Mr Allford, and we will provide whatever support he needs to ensure he can continue to enjoy his time at the park for many years to come.”