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WONDERLAND ATTACK
I was knocked out after a horrific attack while I was at London’s Winter Wonderland – I’ll never go back
A YOUNG woman has been left "traumatised" after she and her friends were subjected to a vicious attack while on a night out at Winter Wonderland.
Rhianne Gallagher went out with a group of about ten friends to the Hyde Park attraction on December 3 when she says they were set upon.
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The group, all aged in their early 20s, were allegedly attacked by two men and a woman in their 50s during a row in the Bavarian Village.
Rhianne, 24, claimed that she was punched unconscious and left concussed, while one of the other girls went to hospital with a suspected fractured skull and others sustained nasty cuts to their faces.
The injuries left her unable to work for a week and made her fear that she couldn't properly care for her baby daughter as she felt constantly nauseous because of her head injury.
Another of her friends apparently had to have time off work and take antibiotics after cuts on her face became infected.
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The alleged attackers were part of a "rowdy" group sitting near the girls before the brawl kicked off.
Rhianne, from , said that they were confronted by the female attacker, who was "really aggressive" and "trying to start something", after one of the young group had a short conversation with the woman's daughter.
After that there was some pushing and shoving, before the two men apparently waded in and set upon the young women and a member of the public who was trying to calm the situation.
Rhianne told The Sun Online: "I was knocked out for about eight seconds but it took me like eight minutes to stand back up.
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"One of my friends had a cut on her face and her eyelashes pulled off.
"I asked security for help but the guy just stared at me and shrugged his shoulders"
She went on to slam Winter Wonderland for a "lack of security" and said the ordeal had left the women "traumatised".
She added: "How is this happening somewhere like Winter Wonderland, which is meant to be family-friendly.
"We are still nervous around large groups.";
The beauty therapist also blasted the police for their lack of action, despite saying the group provided them with "clear as day" photos and a video of the attackers.
She fumed: "You expect police to help...they haven't done anything."
Rhianne claimed that when she called to check on the progress of the case, the Met had no record of the report and the group has not heard from the cops since.
Meanwhile, Winter Wonderland apparently sent all the girls a "cut and paste" response saying it was a police matter and offering them free entry next year, although Rhianne said she will never go again.
She added: "The response from Winter Wonderland hasn't been great...it seems like they aren't taking it very seriously."
Her trauma was only increased by the fact that a video of the attack was shared on Twitter by "hundreds of people finding it funny", which she says should have prompted more police action.
She finished by saying: "None of us can believe it.
"I can't believe young girls are getting attacked...Noone was helping us."
A Hyde Park Winter Wonderland spokesperson said: "We take an incident like this very seriously and are extremely upset by what happened. The safety of our visitors is our priority and we are committed to providing a safe and enjoyable experience for our guests.
"Since reporting the incident to the police when it happened, we remain in contact with them and the victims and are assisting in their ongoing enquiries.
"We keep our security measures and procedures under constant evaluation and have reviewed and updated security team protocols in the wake of this incident."
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: "Police were called by security at Winter Wonderland at about 9pm on Saturday, 3 December to reports of a group of women injured following a fight.
"Officers attended and found a group of women, aged in their 20s, suffering from various injuries. None of the injuries were life-threatening or life-changing.
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"The women told officers they were attacked by two women and a man at about 8.30pm.
"No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue."
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