A British mum has recounted a shocking experience where she was allegedly “brutally attacked” by a bouncer during a trip with friends to Benidorm. Charlotte Benson, aged 31, alleges that while enjoying a night out at The Red Lion bar in the Spanish resort city, she encountered a violent altercation with a member of staff. Describing the ordeal that took place on March 28, Charlotte said she was forcefully shoved across the dancefloor, stomped on, and ‘thrown’ multiple times in what she believes to be an unprovoked assault possibly due to mistaken identity.

The Shropshire-native suffered internal and external injuries along with a concussion from the incident. She is now speaking up to warn fellow Brits about her experience, voicing her distress over the inadequate response from local authorities, labelling it as “appalling.”

In heartrending detail, Charlotte, who is a head of operations and a mother of one, revealed: “I thought it was game over and he was just going to beat me to near death.” She added, “I’m just full of anger, shock and severe anxiety.” Expressing fears for her security, “I never want to leave my house again and I’m going to forever be looking over my shoulder.”

Dispelling any preconceptions about such incidents, Charlotte stressed, “This is not a case of somebody being stupid. It was a completely unprovoked attack.” She had chosen Benidorm for a getaway with five work associates for its affordability compared to a night out back home in the UK. The group had arranged to fly out and stay in an apartment from Friday, March 28, returning on Sunday, March 30. The holiday started off well with a beach walk and a few drinks, as Charlotte recalled it was “just a group of girls chatting and having cocktails.”

After heading back to their apartment to freshen up and change for the evening, the group enjoyed a meal at a curry house before stopping by a bar for a single drink. Charlotte recounted: “We then walked past The Red Lion and there was an atmosphere in there so we went in. They were playing old school dance music which was more our era. We got a spot on the edge of the dance floor and had one round of drinks and one Jägerbomb each – on a full stomach. We weren’t really drunk or paralytic. We kept very much to ourselves, just dancing, giggling and having a good time.”

However, things took a turn for the worse after Charlotte finished her drink and went to the toilet, stating “that’s where it all went a bit wrong.” She explained: “I was just about to walk onto the dance floor and I felt this almighty push. I ended up in a heap on the floor metres away from where originally I was, hitting my head hard. This thug then booted my legs, my stomach, ribs and face and stomped on me repeatedly whilst I was down curled up in the fetal position. When I managed to stand up and turn around, I’m met with this six-foot-plus meathead.

“I was in a state of shock and I said to him ‘What have I done?’ and he screamed in my face ‘Get the fuck out.’ As I stood up again this guy picked me up and throws me on the floor for a third time. I don’t really remember how I then got out of the bar as it was blurry but a lovely and very brave guy helped me get out of there. The look in this bouncer’s eyes – I can’t even describe. His eyes were like moons. He was evil and clearly on something. There was no way of defusing that situation – there was no way out of it.”

Charlotte and her friends managed to return to their apartment where they called both the paramedics and the police. Charlotte described the police response as ‘disgraceful’ and ‘no help at all’, advising her to file a report the next day. She recounted: “The paramedics refused to take me to the hospital. “The woman paramedic rolled her eyes at me and said in broken English ‘What did you do to deserve this?'”

Charlotte was eventually examined at a private hospital where she learned she had sustained internal and external bruising. On March 29, Charlotte found that the local police station was closed for the weekend and ultimately filed her report at the airport’s police station upon leaving. Her frustration was palpable as she stated: “That was a complete let down too. I don’t expect them to understand English in a Spanish country but the attitude was poor.

“I cannot fathom why a police station would be closed on a weekend with all the stag dos, hen parties and birthday celebrations happening. I lost 100 euros from my bag that night and even though I wanted to report the assault, they were giving me forms about robbery instead. It’s not about the money.”

Charlotte is determined to shed light on The Red Lion after others have come forward since she detailed her experience on Facebook. She claims the bar has blocked her on the social media platform. Charlotte expressed: “There is no support for you over there. I was seen as a pissed up Brit causing trouble and I am not one of them. I will never step foot in Benidorm or Spain again. The issue is if nobody ever says anything then nothing will change. This is not an isolated incident.

“People will say I’ve been there and never had any trouble – I’d been there eight years ago and not had trouble. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. Tourists need to be aware of the danger and the lack of support.” The establishment did not reply to requests for a statement. However, the Red Lion addressed the issue on their Facebook page, stating: “Every busy club has there own problems most of them can be solved without any harm.

“Sometimes because of the circumstances or the people it does get rough just like in any other nightclub of the world. Measures in Benidorm are like no where else and not here or anywere does security hit for no reason there’s always 2sides to every story.”