Neighbour smashed glass jar in woman's face after she asked to buy blinds

Griffith Prosser, 56, left his neighbour with multiple wounds, and caused her to make an attempt on her own life

[walesonline]

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Philip Dewey Court Correspondent

02:00, 22 May 2026

[Custody photo of Griffith Prosser, 56, who has brown hair and is wearing a grey jumper.]

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Griffith Prosser, 56, assaulted his neighbour with a glass jar and left her with multiple wounds to her face(Image: South Wales Police)

A neighbour left a woman with multiple cuts to her face and a scar after pushing a glass jar into her face after he took offence at her asking if she could purchase blinds from him. The victim said she did not feel safe and she made an attempt on her own life.

Griffith Prosser, 56, attacked his neighbour in her own garden at her home in Merthyr Tydfil on October 5 last year. It was an unprovoked assault which took place just hours after the victim had attended the defendant's home to buy a pair of blinds.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday heard Prosser told the victim he had destroyed the blinds and she left, but he felt "annoyed and angered" by her. Make sure you never miss Wales biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.

At 10pm that evening, the defendant went to the victim's home and approached her in her garden, while holding a glass jar in his hand.

He told the victim he would not be intimidated by her, and she said she had not intended to do so. Without warning, Prosser struck his victim in the face with the glass jar, causing it to smash and cause multiple cuts to her face.

The victim was taken to A&E at Prince Charles Hospital and was falling in and out of consciousness. She was found to have suffered multiple wounds to the left side of her forehead, to the top of her forehead and her nose.

Two of the wounds required sutures. The defendant was arrested the next day on suspicion of assault, and replied; "To whom? I haven't been out of here."

Prosser, of Chapel Close, Pentrebach, pleaded guilty to wounding and inflicting grievous bodily harm. The court heard he has previous convictions, the most recent occurring 16 years ago.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Nik Strobl, the victim said: "I moved to Merthyr Tydfil as I struggled with anxiety for a long time and wanted to move somewhere relatively quiet as I thought it would help me with my anxiety. I hadn't been there for a month when I was assaulted by my neighbour which I never expected.

"It was a total shock to me, I had no personal involvement with him until the day of the assault when I attended his address hours before I was assaulted to make enquiries about buying blinds from him. I couldn't understand how this brief interaction which was non confrontational could have led to this vicious assault just hours later.

"I struggled to come to terms with what happened and it affected me beyond measure. It had a massive impact on my relationship with my mother who has since passed away. My mother begged me to move back in with her because she worried about me a lot. I didn't want to do that because I wanted to be independent but I struggled to stay in my property, following the assault I was not coping well at all.

"I attempted suicide and was referred to the crisis department team at Prince Charles Hospital. It had a profound effect on my mother's health and it made her worse due to her worrying about me. That is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life, my mother had to see me going through this until she passed away which is something I didn't want for her."

In mitigation, Andrew Kendal said his client had been out of trouble for 16 years and was suffering psychosis at the time of the assault due to his use of illicit substances.

Recorder Paul Lewis KC sentenced Prosser to a total of 18 months imprisonment.

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