A dad-of-two blinded in an unprovoked attack on a night out has called for glass bottles and drinks containers to be banned in bars after 9pm.
Matthew Syron, 32, was glassed by stranger Gareth Dean, 37, during a night out in Revolución de Cuba in Leeds, West Yorks,. with a group of friends.
He was rushed to hospital after the attack on Boxing Day, where he had surgery on his eyes that has meant he’s been able to regain some sight in his right eye.
Matthew, originally from Leeds, moved to Wollongong in Australia in 2012, where the law there is that they stop serving glasses and bottles from 9pm.
They also scan the ID of everyone in a bar and now Matthew is calling for the same to happen in the UK for bars and nightclubs.
His attacker admitted grievous bodily harm with intent and could face life in jail.
But ex-Leeds Rhinos rugby player Matthew is calling for a change in the law to stop such an attack happening to anyone else.
Speaking ahead of the attacker’s sentencing, he said: “I have never seen anyone in Australia get glassed – I have never even heard of it.
“But 87,000 people get glassed in the UK every year – it’s a sickening number. None of this would have happened if it this rule was over here – nobody would do this at 6pm. They get rid of glasses before you’re even drunk. I would never want anyone to be in my shoes.”
Matthew was walking back from the toilet when he was attacked by Dean – who he says he’s ‘never met.’
He said Dean “smashed the glass through his face” which left him instantly blinded.
Matthew said: “I was having a good time – it was Christmas and I was on holiday so things were going great. I asked the bouncer where the toilet was and I went down. I was then stood at the bar and a guy had followed me with either a glass in his hand or a bottle – we aren’t too sure which one.
“He then leaned over my shoulder and smashed the glass through my face – instantly blinding me. I’ve never seen the bloke in my life, I have no idea who he is. Someone would have seen me speak to him if I had, but nobody did.”
Matthew is hoping to have another surgery, where doctors will double check his retina is attached, in a couple of weeks. He then hopes to have a cornea transplant when he’s back in Australia but there’s ‘still no guarantee that will work’.
Matthew said: “I was blind until my next surgery – which was a couple of weeks after it happened. I was then able to see a little bit of light out of my right eye. I can sort of now see where I am in a room and see figures, but I’m now going to see the surgeon about a third operation.
“My left eye is going to be covered by a patch – there’s no real use for it anymore and I can’t really see it anything out of it. I’ll then have a cornea transplant which should hopefully get me some vision back. There’s still no guarantee that will work though.”
Matthew came over on December 14 last year to visit his family but now he’ll be in England for the next couple of months.
He was only able to be reunited with fiancée Keone Rawiri, 31, last week and still hasn’t seen his two children Brixon, two, and Mika Rose, 11 months.
Dean, who has previous convictions for violence, admitted grievous bodily harm with intent when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court on February 1.
He was told by Judge Tom Bayliss KC that he could receive a life sentence for the attack and will be sentenced on March 4.
