by Eleanor Perkins and Joanna Earle

A young woman who has been left almost blind in one eye after being hit by a beer can is asking the culprit to come forward so she can move on with her life.

Cora Mitchard, 24, from Medway, had travelled to Deal seafront on New Year’s Eve to watch the annual fireworks with her fiancé James Guthrie and another couple, when her life changed forever.

The Tesco worker was sat on a bench outside The Port Arms pub, in Beach Street, when a row broke out nearby.

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During the altercation, which she was not a part of, a beer can was thrown and hit her in the face.

She was rushed to hospital and had to undergo emergency surgery on her eye.

She has since been told she will only regain 5 to 15% of her sight in that eye.

In a message to the culprit, who she thinks was aged between 18 to 20, Miss Mitchard said: “I need you to come forward so I can feel like I can move on with my life.

VIDEO: Cora Mitchard speaks out after beer can attack

“I’m still coming to terms with why it happened and what it was all about.”

Before the incident, Miss Mitchard recalls seeing a group of young men misbehaving. They had a crate of beer on the floor. When a bouncer approached them, things escalated.

She said: “One of them went to throw an unopened can of Fosters at the bouncer but it completely missed the bouncer and got me straight in the eye.

“My eye ballooned up literally within seconds so I couldn’t see anything.

“My other half’s sister is first aid trained so she helped me out. We called for an ambulance and I was taken over to Margate hospital while the police dealt with the lads there.”

Miss Mitchard spent a few hours at the QEQM Hospital where it was identified she had a fractured eye socket. She was then taken to see the eye specialists at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

She said: “I had an eye operation the day after to relieve the pressure behind my eye.

“Since then I’ve had countless hospital appointments.”

Professionals have discovered a trauma cataract which caused the loss of sight in Miss Mitchard’s right eye within just two days.

She said: “I can only see out of my left eye. If I cover my right eye, it’s just a blur.

“I’ve got a hospital appointment next week which is a pre-assessment for another operation to remove the cataract and to see what further damage is there and if they’ll able to operate further down the line.”

"My eye ballooned up literally within seconds so I couldn’t see anything" - Cora Mitchard

Miss Mitchard, who lives on a boat in Hoo Marina, has been told there is a slim chance she will ever regain her sight in the eye, and even if she does, she will still have to wear glasses to see close up.

She said: “It’s awful.

“I’m really, really angry. Although it wasn’t aimed for me, the fact it was aimed for someone isn’t great.

“I just want to try and get justice.”

The incident has affected her work as a supermarket assistant at Tesco. She can no longer work on the tills because she is unable to look at a screen for too long.

She added: “I’m about 80% sure of who did it and I know other people saw it.”

The incident happened at around 10.40pm on New Year’s Eve, but details have only just been released.

District commander for Dover, chief inspector Mitchell Fox, said the crime is being treated as GBH.

He said: “We have made inquires regarding CCTV which would be part of our normal investigation, and we have got lines of inquiry that we are pursuing but we need the publics’ help to give us more information.”

The appeal is not just to those who may have witnessed the incident, but also those who might have become aware of it via social media and to those responsible."

Investigating officer PC Jade Symons added: “Someone knows who is responsible for causing these injuries and it is important we identify them. I would ask anyone who has any information about the incident to come forward.”

Anyone with any information is asked to call the witness appeal line on 01843 222289 quoting reference ZY/000111/17, or Crimestoppers free and in confidence on 0800 555111.