'My bosses viciously beat me into a coma - now I want justice'
A young man who was put in a coma and suffered brain damage when he was a drug runner has pleaded for justice.
James Beaton was subjected to a beating so vicious that he had his jaw "smashed to bits" but charges of kidnap, grievous bodily harm with intent and possession of knives against two men were dropped. James, 21, and his mother Melanie Rudd have today renewed their appeals for police to continue investigating and for anyone with information to come forward.
The attack happened after James, struggling to pay his rent and living costs, started selling cannabis and, for around four months, was a drug runner for the two suspects. In an emotional plea, Melanie, 40, said: "We want people to speak up Don’t be afraid, or this will keep happening. The reason we're here is because people are too scared to speak up about what's going on behind closed doors and in front of their faces. Because no one will speak up out of fear, the people responsible are left to carry on and do it again to the next victim."
James Beaton pictured in hospital after the attack (Media Wales)
James and mum Melanie Rudd are determined to get justice (Media Wales)James allegedly owed the suspects in their late 20s, who WalesOnline have called Tom and Robert (not their real names). It is alleged Tom and Robert visited James at the home of his then girlfriend, took James to a secluded country lane in Ely, Cardiff, they beat him until he passed out.
It is said he then took him to University Hospital of Wales in the Heath area of the city. Tom went into the reception area and told staff he had found James badly injured. Medics stretchered James from the van to intensive care, then Tom and Robert left the scene.
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The following day James had an operation to rebuild his jaw. Other than a fractured sternum, all of the injuries were to his head. Melanie said: "They couldn't wake him up. Every time they attempted to, his vitals were erratic and there was a risk of him having a stroke. They couldn't do an MRI scan because the metal they'd rebuilt his jaw with hadn't been tested in an MRI machine. We didn't really know what was going on. The staff were describing it as like shaken baby syndrome. For the first three weeks we thought we were going to lose him."
James' assailants are yet to be brought to justice (Media Wales)
The 21-year-old man was subjected to a savage beating last summer (Media Wales)James had a tracheotomy to help him breathe and he was tube-fed through his nose. He finally emerged from the coma on July 30, 2023 - nearly two weeks after the attack on July 13 - but medics were concerned he would remain in a near-vegetative state. Day by day, though, his condition improved. On August 5, he was moved to a neurological ward and on August 23, he had his tracheotomy removed.
"James had tried speaking with the tracheotomy in but he was coughing so much. Eventually, when it came out, he was very softly spoken and still had a lot of fear. He was having a lot of hallucinations and wasn't able to get out of bed. Then one day I came in and he wasn't in bed. He had managed to take some steps to the toilet, very Bambi-like."
James is still a hospital inpatient but he is allowed out on breaks, which meant he and Melanie could come to the WalesOnline office to tell their story. He still experiences jaw trouble and difficulties chewing some foods. The main impact of the attack has been the traumatic brain injury, which has affected his cognitive abilities, though he has made major improvements. He is expected to be discharged soon into supported housing.
Tom and Robert made two court appearances before their charges were dropped. James, who had studied carpentry at college, said he made attempts to get out of his situation with the two men but they were allegedly blocked.
James took jobs on construction sites after leaving college but then hit hard times and started selling cannabis. Tom would allegedly order James to be on duty in Ely from 10am to 10pm each day. "I'd either be outside or in one of the user's houses," said James. "If I wasn't there at 10am then Tom would threaten me. I was late two or three times, and he rang me absolutely screaming, saying he would stamp on my head."
Melanie spoke of her son going through the harrowing ordeal (Media Wales)
James, who had studied carpentry at college, made dozens, sometimes close to 100, drop-offs at properties in and around Ely, Cardiff (Media Wales)Most of James' contact was with Tom but he says he would see Robert to collect drugs or hand over cash. Each day he made dozens, sometimes close to 100, drop-offs at properties in and around Ely, mostly of cannabis and occasionally cocaine.
Soon after he started the deliveries, James allegedly found himself in "debt" to Tom. One day James was dropping off at a user's house when the door was opened by a man holding a knife. He forced James to leave all the drugs he was carrying without any payment. After James explained what had happened, Tom allegedly told him he was liable for the value of the drugs, which was around £1,500.
The debt increased after James gave around £200 worth of cocaine "on tick" (a loan) to one of their customers. The loan had not been authorised with Tom, who then asked James where the cocaine was. James was doing a delivery in another customer's front garden when Tom turned up. In panic at his mistake, James suggested he could work for another dealer to help him pay the debt. Tom allegedly replied: "You ain't working for someone else when you're working for me." He allegedly hit James with two punches, briefly knocking him unconscious. James was uninjured beyond some bruising, but he felt increasingly hopeless as he could not see any way out of working for Tom.
The mother and son say people in James' position are often too scared to speak up (Media Wales)Melanie had been unaware of the extent of James' problems but she grew concerned as he "pushed aside his normal daily life". James has no memory of what happened that day but he says he has pieced together events from subsequent conversations with the young woman and with police officers. He says that he missed two calls about sales he was meant to carry out, and that there was then a call in which Tom threatened him on July 13 last year.
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"We sent the police photos to determine whether it was James," Melanie said. "They couldn't identify whether it was him because there was so much swelling to his face. James' stepdad and I went to intensive care with police to see if it was him. It was the worst moment of my life. As soon as we walked in the door we could see it was him. James was unconscious, attached to tubes, and his face was huge because they had smashed his jaw to bits."
Melanie says police had told her there was a strong case against the suspects so she was surprised to learn after the second hearing that police had been given a week to gather more evidence to avoid the case being dropped.
Melanie and James, from Cardiff, praised police but are unhappy with the CPS (Media Wales)According to the CPS, Tom and Robert had accepted that James got into a van with them and that he was "taken to meet someone". The suspects claimed that "after James met with this person it was clear that James had been the subject of an attack and they took him to the hospital".
In a letter to James, the CPS said: "Though several witness accounts were provided, there was no evidence to prove that it was the defendants who had assaulted you. There was no forensic evidence from the van or elsewhere which could identify the defendants as being the persons responsible. The police were also unable to locate the scene where the offences had taken place."
Melanie praised South Wales Police's efforts, though she was disappointed by the lack of social media appeals for information. "The police were really invested in this case and you could see it," she said. "The CPS were a totally different story. I believe they are the ones that have failed us massively. You could see the police officers who'd investigated it were devastated."
A CPS spokeswoman said: "A review conducted in this case concluded there was insufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction and the case was stopped. The victim, Mr Beaton, was written to explaining our decision. Mr Beaton asked for the decision to be reviewed under our Victims’ Right to Review scheme. The VRR scheme provides a victim with a specifically designed process to exercise the right to review certain CPS decisions not to start a prosecution or to stop a prosecution. The outcome of this review concluded the decision to stop the case was correct."
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "[The defendants] were remanded in custody but prior to trial the case was stopped by the Crown Prosecution Service. We understand and appreciate the victim’s disappointment, and he has been referred to the Home Office via the National Referral Mechanism scheme to receive additional support. Any new information received in relation to this case will be investigated."
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