A CHRISTCHURCH family feels ‘the system is broken’ after their vulnerable son was brutally attacked.

Adam Welch was locking up the shop where he works when he was reportedly attacked by a man in Burton on October 19.

He suffered a broken nose and lacerations to his head which required hospital treatment.

Adam now fears for his life after the attack.

A concerned family member said: “He's autistic so his glasses that he's had for 15 years because of his sensory issues, were broken. His headphones were broken, he's badly bruised and having flashbacks, it’s been absolutely horrible.”

(Image: Alex Welch) Now, the family is calling for the police system to ‘do better’ after not receiving support for over 70 hours.

The family member added: “The police response was 72 hours.

“We rang them several times and they never rang us. They said that they would meet him at the hospital.

“Nothing happened, no one met him.

“We rang them again on Sunday morning but nothing happened.

“Adam ran them again Sunday evening. They then said they would send somebody round in the next half hour but no one showed, we didn’t even get a warning.

“Eventually about mid-morning Tuesday morning, a couple of local police officers realised it was linked to all the other things that they had dealt with and they were great, but that is not good enough, the police system is broken and they need to do better.”

“Other staff members are now terrified; it’s going to affect the business, and they don’t know what to do.”

A spokesman for Dorset Police said: "The victim was taken to hospital by the ambulance service shortly after the incident was reported to police at around 9.45pm on Saturday 19 October 2024 with his family in attendance.

"Officers made efforts to contact the victim’s family while they were in hospital. It was subsequently established during the evening that the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing and the victim was safe.

"A risk assessment was carried out and there was deemed to be no immediate threats to the victim or wider public as the alleged offender had left the area. The incident was kept open for officers to attend and start an investigation into the circumstances.

"An officer was allocated to attend on Sunday 20 October 2024. However, they were diverted to attend a spontaneous incident with immediate, threat, harm and risk. We apologise that the victim was not updated at the time."

The spokesperson added: "A review was subsequently carried out by the neighbourhood policing team Inspector and neighbourhood officers were deployed to meet with the victim and their family to take a statement. Following further enquiries, a man was subsequently arrested. He has been released on police bail and we are continuing to carry out detailed enquiries into the incident.

"We recognise the significant impact that incidents of this nature have on victims and we would like to reassure that a full investigation is ongoing and the victim is being kept informed of progress."