Holly Lishman
People who meet Holly Lishman often remark upon what a happy-go-lucky little girl
she is.
But Holly has been through an ordeal so terrifying that her parents feared she might
never smile again.
When she was five, she saw her father, David, being savagely beaten with a spade
as he lay in bed. Most children would have run away, but Holly kicked out at the
attacker.
It saved her dad, but it meant the maniac turned his attention to her, almost costing
Holly her own life.
David, 30, says: "We still don't know why he attacked us that night in March 2000.
He was a friend of mine with drink problems."
Unbeknown to David, the man had stolen keys, to David's home in Preston, Lancs.
He says: "We were both asleep when he sneaked into my room and started hitting me
with the spade."
Holly was woken up by her dad's screams and ran into his room. "Holly started pulling
at him and kicking him. He pushed her to the ground, shoved a handkerchief in her
mouth and started to strangle her.
"She later told me she saw stars and fell asleep, when in reality she had been strangled
until she was unconscious."
The attacker then fled before Holly came round and dialled 999. Their attacker was
caught and later jailed for life.
David needed nine operations to rebuild his face. He is well aware he owes Holly
his life. Holly, now aged eight, says: "All I wanted to do was save my daddy."