A WOMAN blinded in one eye when she was kicked in the face in an horrific pub assault has told how the attack has ruined her life.

Katrina Coucill, aged 29, lost her left eye after a woman wearing stiletto shoes kicked her as she lay on the floor during the assault in Ye Old Three Crowns pub in Farnworth.

Earlier this week a jury at Bolton Crown Court was told to find Hayley Rand not guilty of causing grievous bodily harm to Miss Coucill after it was established that she was not the person responsible.

Miss Coucill has been left devastated by the collapse of the trial and is now appealing for witnesses to come forward to help find the person who attacked her so she can finally have justice.

The trauma of the attack in August, 2014, has meant that she could not work and she lost her job with a claims company.

Miss Coucill, who now has an artificial eye, said: “I was off work for a year and did not go out of the house. I wasn’t the person I was. I had depression and panic attacks. I’ve only started going back out with friends for a couple of months now."

Miss Coucill, who has found a job with an energy consultancy firm, said she is still reluctant to drive her car despite doctors advising her that she is able to. “I am still not good with judging distances,” she said, adding that the loss of the eye has also affected her movement. "I am a lot more clumsy now because I don’t see things in front of me. I would not wish this on anyone.”

Prosecution witness, barman Kieran Torkington, told the court that he pulled two women away from Miss Coucill during the fight, the second of whom had shoes on and had kicked her in the eye.

But in court it was established that there were several people in the pub that night and 29-year-old Mrs Rand was the first woman taken hold of by Mr Torkington, so could not be blamed for the eye injury.

The jury had been told that Mrs Rand admitted having 'brushed against' Miss Coucill with her foot during the fight, but maintained that she was not wearing shoes at the time.

Miss Coucill, with her mother and sister for support, was in court when the trial collapsed and the devastated victim fears she may never get justice unless someone comes forward to reveal who did cause the loss of her left eye. “It doesn’t look like that is going to happen,” she said.

“There are at least two or three people who know who did this and it is just a case of them being brave enough to come forward.”

Single Miss Coucill told how she moved back to her childhood home of Farnworth from Daisy Hill just three weeks before the attack and was keen to make new friends.

On the bank holiday Sunday she had spent the afternoon with her mum at Daisy Hill Cricket Club cheering on her brother, William Berry, who was playing in a match. The two women shared a bottle of wine before heading to the Three Crowns.

“I used to go in there when I was younger with friends,” she said.

“I had not been there for years but thought that karaoke or something might be on that night.”

Miss Coucill’s mum decided to go home at 9pm, but her daughter was enjoying herself so much that she opted to remain on her own.

The jury heard that she had several vodka and cokes and was drunk when she became involved in a fight on the dancefloor which led to her being kicked as she lay on the floor.

Miss Coucill was so inebriated that she the last thing she can remember is dancing at the pub before waking up in the Royal Bolton Hospital the next day in pain, her mind fuddled with painkilling drugs.

"I was completely out of it,” she said. “I didn’t know why I was there or what was happening. There was a police officer sat there who said there had been an incident.”

She said she initially thought an eye patch had been put on her left eye because she had suffered a cut, but she was told the full extent of her loss by doctors the following day.

“Basically they apologised that they hadn’t been able to save my eye,” said Miss Coucill. “I was very upset that I was only going to be able to see out of one eye.”

Miss Coucill paid tribute to medical staff who have cared for her since and provided her with a replacement artificial eye.

“My cosmetic surgeon has done a brilliant job,” she said.

She had to undergo surgery just three weeks ago because her eye started closing, will eventually have to have the remnants of her left eye removed and will need regular hospital visits for the rest of her life to maintain and replace her prosthetic eye.

Miss Coucill said that it was difficult not knowing who is responsible for the loss of her eye and urged anyone with information to go to the police. “I have no closure, not knowing what happened. Somebody out there knows who did this,” she said.

The police and Crown Prosecution Service will now be 'reviewing' the case. Anyone with information should call the police on 101.