IAN CLARKE A teenager who had “everything going great in his life” has been left blinded in one eye after being glassed in a night club.

IAN CLARKE

A teenager who had “everything going great in his life” has been left blinded in one eye after being glassed in a night club.

Richard Blackmore, 18, of Dereham, had just bought his first car, was enjoying success in his job as a civil engineer and was looking forward to a foreign holiday but has been told by doctors that he will only regain sight in his right eye “if there is a miracle.”

Richard yesterday told the EDP he was devastated about what had happened and mystified why a glass had been smashed in his eye in a totally unprovoked attack.

The incident happened at about 2am on Sunday at Splitz in Quebec Street, Dereham.

“I had not had any problems with anyone during the evening and did not seeing anything and just felt a smash in my face. I ran outside from the club and friends were saying my eye looked really bad. I felt fainter and fainter and woke up in an ambulance,” said Richard, who underwent one three-hour operation and needs to return to hospital next week.

“I will be blind in my right eye and it will need a miracle for me to see from it again.”

Richard started a job as a civil engineer with Morrisons Utilities in November and was doing really well and after saving up to buy his car, was about to go to the Costa Brava on his first “lads' holiday.”

“I feel gutted. As my life was on track and things were going really well, this happened.”

Richard's eye lens is missing and the eye muscle has been lacerated and surgeons are hoping to save his eye and “make it look as normal as possible”, even though there is little chance of restoring his sight.

His mother Sharon said: “It is so awful. This has totally changed his life in one heartbeat. It is so sickening.”

She thanked family, friends and her and Richard's employers for their “tremendous support.”

“Everyone has been amazing and that has kept him going.”

A man in his mid 20s has been arrested and released on bail while further inquiries are carried out.

Anyone with information to the assault or background to the incident should contact Det Con Colin Aris at Dereham CID on 0845 4564567.