Ella Dowling Opens Up About Horrific Bus Attack: ‘I Refuse to Be Defined by This’
Ella Dowling, 19, has spoken about the traumatic ordeal she endured when a fellow passenger, Darren Taylor, 53, viciously attacked her on a bus last November. What started as a routine bus ride home turned into a nightmare when Taylor made inappropriate comments toward Ella and her friends before violently assaulting her.
During the terrifying five-minute attack, Taylor grabbed Ella’s face and repeatedly bit her nose and mouth. “The pain I felt when he sank his teeth into my face is something which will stay with me forever,” Ella told The Sun. She likened the attack to “a dog with a toy,” as Taylor viciously moved his head from side to side. Ella fought to keep her lip and nose from being completely torn off by holding the back of his head, all while struggling to escape.
With the help of her friends and the intervention of members of the public, Ella managed to get away from Taylor, who was detained until the police arrived. Her injuries were severe, with her left nostril down to her lower lip “hanging off” and the right side of her lip split open. Ella was rushed to Cheltenham Hospital and later transferred to Gloucester Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery.
Taylor appeared in Gloucester Crown Court in March, where he pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent. In July, he was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison and given a lifelong restraining order. Despite the sentencing, Ella has had to live with the lasting effects of the attack. “People say that my scar is healing well, but for me, it’s more than a scar, it’s a disfigurement and a permanent reminder of what’s happened to me,” she said. “I smile and speak differently, and it’s something I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Ella, a social work student at Portsmouth University, deferred her studies for a year following the attack and moved back home. She now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), avoiding public transport and staying in constant contact with her mother or friends when outside. “I haven’t used the bus since because of my PTSD,” she explained.
Although the physical and emotional scars remain, Ella refuses to be defined by the assault. “I’m not a victim, I’m a survivor,” she declared, adding that she’s working to regain her bubbly, outgoing personality. “I want to get back to the person I used to be, but it’s going to take time.”
Despite Taylor’s appeal against his sentence, Ella remains determined not to let the attack define her future. She has returned to university and hopes to continue pursuing her dreams.