MICHAEL Clegg had only popped out to his local shop for bread and milk one morning, when his life changed forever.
He was savagely beaten by a stranger in a completely unprovoked attack which left him needing surgery.
It also made him so afraid he couldn't leave the house for six months, and eventually lost his job as a school site manager.
But he never had the satisfaction of seeing his attacker in the dock to face justice.
The 56-year-old, of Anstey Rise, Sneinton, said: "I don't know why it happened or who it was.
"Someone on the opposite side of the road approached me and then beat me up.
"When I was on the floor he stamped on me numerous times and because the attack was so severe I had to have a knee and shoulder replacement.
"I had cuts and bruises all over my body and the ligaments in my right shoulder were so badly damaged I had three lots of keyhole surgery before I ended up with a new shoulder."
As well as the physical pain, Mr Clegg felt hurt by the fact his attacker didn't go to court.
"No one has been caught for it but I was told by the police that I was not the only person that day.
"I think that there should be police out on the streets and if someone is attacked there should be someone in the area."
The offence against Mr Clegg was just one of more than 1,000 crimes a week which fail to go before a judge due to lack of evidence, victim statements and witnesses.
Although Notts Police's crime detection rate is currently 35.7 per cent – 1.3 per cent higher than the national average – this is little comfort for those that never receive justice.
Between January 2012 and March 2013, a total of 57,643 offences have not gone to court.
The most frequently occurring of these crimes are theft (26,529), criminal damage (10,901), and burglary (9,797). Others included violence against a person (7,584), sexual offences (881), and drug offences (227).
For every case that is referred by the police, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) make a decision on the realistic prospect of conviction and if it is in the public interest to bring it to court.
Steve Chappell, chief crown prosecutor for CPS East Midlands, said: "It is the duty of the Crown Prosecution Service to make sure that the right person is prosecuted for the right offence and that offenders are brought to justice where possible.
"When a case is referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision, prosecutors apply the Code for Crown Prosecutors, which provides a two-stage test.
"Firstly, there must be sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.
"This means that a jury or magistrates' bench, properly directed, would be more likely to convict than not.
"If the evidential stage is met, then it must be in the public interest for a prosecution to take place.
"Each case is considered on its merits and in making these decisions, prosecutors will act fairly, independently and transparently."
Although not all crimes make it to court there is still help available for the victims.
Divisional manager Olwen Edwards from Notts Victim Support said: "In the last year we have helped around 2,000 people in Notts and the majority of those cases have not gone to court.
"A lot of the time they are to do with burglaries and the offender is never caught.
"We do get victims of sexual offences coming to us for help and it is not surprising that so many cases have not made it to court.
"The police do need to be taking action when it comes to crimes that cannot be resolved through negotiation such as theft or more serious offences."
