POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a disabled woman was allegedly assaulted outside a pub in Newport.

The woman had been at a reunion with old friends at The Godfrey Morgan Wetherspoons pub on Chepstow Road when she was allegedly attacked in the car park at the back of the pub at around 11.30pm on Wednesday night.

It was the first time she had been out of the house since she was involved in a road traffic collision where she suffered “life changing injuries” in October last year.

She was airlifted to hospital after the lorry she was driving crashed into a van and then a tree.

The woman, originally from Newport but now living in Birmingham, had returned home to visit friends and family.

During the alleged assault she had her crutches pushed away from her and was punched as she fell to the floor.

One of her crutches was also used to “strangle her” after a dispute with a man over parking.

She was taken to hospital as a precaution after suffering marks and bruises, with doctors concerned that metal rods in her legs may have been dislodged.

The woman's sister, said when they left the pub they realised their car, which had a disabled badge on it, had been blocked in by another car.

“I said “that was silly parking” and didn’t realise there were two people in the car,” she said.

“They started shouting at us, calling my sister a cripple, and refusing to move their car.

“My sister said ‘please can you move it, I need to get home’ and the man got out of his car.

“Her kicked her crutches away from her, she was punched and he pulled her to the floor and tried to strangle her with one of the crutches.”

She added it was a “horrific” ordeal and they were relieved when an “elderly good Samaritan” came out of the pub to try and break up the incident, suffering a bloodied nose in the process.

A spokesman from Gwent Police said officers attended the scene of a possible assault of a woman at around 12.17am on Thursday morning (May 28).

“A 37-year-old Newport man has been questioned about the incident and officers continue to investigate the circumstances. Anyone who may have any information to ring 101 quoting log 3 28/05/15.”