Thugs stone bus of 'posh pupils'

Yakub Qureshi and Neal Keeling

October 20, 2005

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INJURED: Grace Cousen, 14.

THUGS who attacked a bus carrying private school pupils may have deliberately targeted it because it is used by "posh kids".

Pupil Grace Cousen was left covered in blood after an object shattered a window and struck her on the face as she sat talking with friends.

The 14-year-old Manchester High School for Girls student was badly bruised and cut by flying glass and her family have demanded a crackdown, claiming attacks on the bus are commonplace.

Bus company bosses are also considering changing the route to avoid the yobs.

Pelted

The Finglands 146 service was pelted with stones on Weaste Lane in Salford's Buile Hill area on Tuesday afternoon.

Two weeks ago, a schoolboy was injured when a concrete block shattered the front windscreen.

The bus service is popular among pupils from private schools including Manchester Grammar School, Manchester High School for Girls, Withington Girls' School, and William Hulme Grammar.

Grace's family, who live in Atherton, near Wigan, believe the bus has been targeted by youngsters who view the children onboard as coming from "posh schools".

Her mum Jan said: "It is a regular thing for this bus to be attacked. It sounds like it is a completely premeditated affair. They sit and wait for it to go past and then throw slabs at it.

Uniforms

"They probably don't know exactly where the kids come from, but they can see the uniforms and perhaps they are making a connection in their minds.

"I don't believe this should go on without someone trying to put a stop to it. The injuries could have been much worse for Grace and this boy that was hurt."

Finglands' managing director Graham Rayner said: "This is a regular occurrence. The service is being attacked once or twice a week at this location.

"This has happened in the past - about 12 months ago - and we asked the police to monitor the situation. But this is by far the most serious sequence of incidents.

"We do have CCTV on this vehicle and will be examining footage to try and identify the culprits. We also intend to refer the matter to the police.

Culprits

"Each time stones have been used to attack the vehicle, and the situation is getting worse." Councillor Norman Owen, leader of Salford's Liberal Democrats, said: "The local education authority must carry out an investigation to try and identify which the school those responsible attend.

"Tough action should then be taken if the culprits can be identified.

"It was an outrageous incident which tarnishes the name of Salford and they must be punished.

"The police must get involved to protect these children and to crack down on those responsible."

Should bus bosses change the route - or should police get involved? Have your say.

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CLAREMONT RESIDENT, SALFORD (20/10/2005 at 11:31)

How can you quote Cllr.Norman Owen. After his comments on his speeding charge he has no credibility in my opinion. I get the impression, he does not like young people from this and other comments. He sticks his nose into things in Salford that don't concern him, yet we never see him in Claremont. He should do the decent thing and resign!

Colin W, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 11:57)

Why does this surprise anyone and even more why is it newworthy?. There is no restraint on kids so they will do as they please. Stop wasting my time publishing such nonsense

Kyla, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 13:05)

Get the police to do their job and arrest these thugs, then ensure the judicial system doesn't let the whole thing down by letting these brats get off scott free, on account of their age.

Dave, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 13:08)

Why is Salford so rough!!

Mark, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 13:33)

"Tough action should then be taken if the culprits can be identified." - This country doesn't do "tough action". The judicial system lets down every member of the public with every single sentencing. It stands to reason that if murderers get 10-15 years, then stone throwers will get nothing. The whole punishment system needs to be overhauled to ensure "tough action" - until it is, it just ain't gonna happen!

Stephen, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 13:36)

I think the police should get involved. Why should idiots or "scallies" get away with it? They always do, there's an out of control situation with ASBOS, and they still get away with it as well. These yobs who throw things at the bus windows need punishing, need to be physically punished as well. The Law in this country is FAR too soft and it's innocent victims who have to suffer because there isnt a crackdown on the British Yob Culture.

Q Ali, Stockport (20/10/2005 at 13:58)

They should fit the buses with machine guns and rocket grendades and start firing at any sign of trouble.

That would learn them!

Tracy, Wythenshawe (20/10/2005 at 14:29)

I live in Wythenshawe, my children go to school in Wythenshawe. This kind of behaviour happens in Wythenshawe. I've witnessed and heard of objects being thrown at buses regularly. The children throwing at the buses are usually pupils at same school as the children on the buses they are throwing things at. I don't think this bus was targetted purely because of its "posh" pupils. It antisocial behaviour full stop and should be clamped down on.

Judge Dredd, ancoats (20/10/2005 at 14:47)

They wouldn't be able to throw much without their right hand would they? If there's a better deterrent then I'd like to know it.

Andy, Wythenshawe (20/10/2005 at 15:05)

Why not give ALL kids a quality education instead of the lucky few.
It probably has little to do with them being 'posh kids', but it will make it more fun for the idiots attacking it.
I resent the fact that i went to an underfunded dump of a school in Wythenshawe when those with a bit of money had a superior education.
Whats the fundamental problem here ?

Anthony, Accrington,Lancashire (20/10/2005 at 16:17)

Whoever did this is a bunch of antisocial oxymorons who don't give a damn about the safety and wellbeing of other kids being transported to school!!! How would these thugs like it if these "posh kids" took a pot shot at the thugs' bus by stones/rocks/bricks/glass etc and they got injured? Don't fight fire with fire and retailiation won't happen at all

Devilsadvocate, Manchester (20/10/2005 at 17:14)

I love double standards, if we obtain money and wealth we go for private health and education without a thought. When we have no money we are jealous of those who have money and regard them as being priveleged. And all the time we bring up the children who go to good schools and bad ones and somewhere we as the public have got to stop and take some action and stop our kids in our communities acting like idiots and thugs. But thats where the problem really lies because no one will take responsibility any more preferring to blame problems on the nearest scape goat.

sally, hale barns (20/10/2005 at 17:19)

Isnt this the same area of salford where a deer was killed by gypsies and low lives and where a father doing some work on his car was beaten and left for dead oh and nobody was charged for these 2 incidents drivers avoid this area businesses have left hello. isnt this Hazel Blears constituency enough said ineffective deterrents youths running wild jealous of decent young persons on their way to and from decent schools why cant these yobs be dealt with before they kill either the driver or a school pupil. but then if they do their whole family will get compen and swim with dolphins go on holiday etc all at the taxpayers expense. Wake up britain this govt has failed in every sector of the eceonomy.

nic, hale (20/10/2005 at 17:48)

my friends get this bus, and now because of the change of route have to get up earlier, to be at school on time, i dont think they should have to suffer just because, of some silly kids

john, whitefield (20/10/2005 at 18:03)

yet again salford shows us what they are envious and brutal.salford pride is a myth.

Andy, Wythenshawe (20/10/2005 at 20:51)

Why should kids receive inferior education just because they live in deprived areas.
These kids aren't jealous or envious, they are angry as hell AND with justification, though this random attack wasn't a show of that.
All kids deserve access to the best education, not just the few, its called social justice.
Sally, hale barns, this government is still repairing the damage Thatcher did, and by the comments on this post, there are still individuals who cant see where the problems stem from, and those from places like Hale Barns have their fair share of rogues, just that they terrorise in 4x4's.

Bungle, Audenshaw, Manchester (21/10/2005 at 02:37)

The underclass is treated like garbage (Some deserve it I know) by the braggart showboaters in the rest of society.When you have people who have everything wanting more and more those who have nothing will rightly resent it.And believe me I am not some liberal do gooder, nor do I condone class envy.There's an appalling amount of inequality in this so called civilsed country. Many are born to lose and stigmatised on the basis of postcode alone.

Colin W, Manchester (21/10/2005 at 07:52)

The time to bring back public executions is long long over due

g.parker, auckland (21/10/2005 at 11:13)

Why do they blame Mrs Thatcher,the socialist destoyed the education system.WE used to have Grammar, technical,central and secondary schools,until Labour destroyed them,so don't give us the bit about Mrs Thatcher,try something nearer to home like Harold Wilson.

get it sorted A&O, salford (21/10/2005 at 12:04)

Kids are kids, or so the saying goes, but look at Manchesters record on dealing with ASB. Its ruthless. Salford dont make me laugh. The councils idea is to put up silly statues and paint everything pink. Council, police or bus company get a company in who will get the evednce on the poor disaffected youth and asbo them. Wake up to the lack of control we now posses and start the fight back. Posh or not, Criminality is criminaly

Blaine, Worsley, Salford (21/10/2005 at 12:16)

Hey John in Whitefield. In case you hadn't noticed, Salford is a city with many areas (some good some bad like ALL cities), home to thousands of people, so you may not want to make sweeping generalisations like that without putting a bit of thought in first. I'm a Salfordian, and believe me, I'm not brutal or jealous of anyone.

devilsadvocate, Manchester (21/10/2005 at 12:59)

Sally of Hale Barns. The use of the term Gypsy in your comments is both racist and incorrect. The term Gypsy is as bad as the unspeakable term N*&%%"r to a true Gypsy or more correctly Roma and I speak as one who knows. The so called Gypsies were in fact 'travellers' and regardless of the rights and wrongs of any situation to label any group as some form of low life is wrong. Killing deer and for that matter numerous other members of the animal kingdom for fun and profit has not been the sole domain of the lower classes indeed our own Royal Family and the so called aristocracy have killed our wildlife for years with impunity. Then again in Hale Barns Sally must have a vast experience of real life to draw upon. People in Ivory towers etc.

PW, Manchester (21/10/2005 at 13:48)

These kids haven't targeted this bus because it's used by "posh" kids. They've done it because it's a bus, and they're stupid. It happens everywhere. At one time, a passer-by would have given them a cuff round the ear - with everyone's blessing, including the parents in my day. These days, it's wrong to give summary punishment to pea-brains who throw bricks at bus windows causing criminal damage and possible injury/death. Lock 'em up and leave them there.

Mark, Manchester (21/10/2005 at 13:55)

Peoples' backgrounds, religion, colour, social class and any other means of classification and generalisation, which some of you are trying to pinpoint should be absolutely irrelevant. This is about punishing crime effectively and most importantly about making people actually fear the reprisals of their criminal actions. A strong punishment system will go a long way to deter crime at all levels - problem is we're not even close to one. We need to look and learn from Singapore's example of effective sentencing.

Andy, Wythenshawe (21/10/2005 at 15:05)

Is it about punishing crime effectively or uncovering the cause.
I think they go hand in hand.

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