A Bristol woman says a group of boys threatened to stab her and spat at her on a train, while a staff member and other passengers did nothing to help. Danielle Clarke told Bristol Live that four boys began harassing her on a Great Western Railway train heading from Frome towards Bristol Temple Meads on Sunday, April 3 at about 5pm.
The 26-year-old from Easton says the boys, who she estimated were aged between 12 and 14 years old, surrounded her on her table while she sat alone and intimidated her, which she said was "horrible". "I just felt helpless like no one was going to help me. It's one of those things, I kept thinking I should have done something a bit different but I defended myself," she said.
She shouted at the boys to go away but they repeatedly harassed her. "They said give us your Instagram and we'll go away, they kept on blowing on my face, touching my face, touching my ear," she said.
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Danielle says that one of the boys threatened to stab her. When a member of train staff walked past she asked him for help, but she says he just asked for her ticket repeatedly. She says the member of staff then asked the boys to leave the train at the next stop before walking away.
A GWR spokesperson apologised and said: “Our staff receive training to manage incidents for the safety of all on board, however, ultimately only the police are able to investigate an allegation of a crime." Danielle says that while she was being harassed, no one else on the train tried to help her except for one other woman, who the boys shouted at.
The group of boys left the train at the next station but she said one of them spat at her as they left. Danielle stayed on the train until she reached Temple Meads. She said that what the boys did to her was "horrific", but she has also criticised the passengers and the staff member who failed to help her.
'I've lost faith in people'
She says that before she got off the train, she asked the staff member why he did not help her, and he apologised and told her that he didn't want to get into trouble for manhandling the boys, and that he had been assaulted while at work before. But Danielle said: "It's pathetic, there's such a lack of help to feel that helpless in broad daylight when you're asking for help, when you're literally pleading to someone for help, it's disgusting. I've completely lost faith in people to be honest."
When Danielle came off the train she was in tears, and a member of staff saw her and escorted her to the station's police office, where she filed a report. She says that she didn't sleep much that night and the day after the incident she was unable to go to work, and even though she is a "confident" person, the incident has shaken her.
"I went to the shops yesterday and I can just feel myself a bit taken aback by it, and not really looking at anyone. It's really knocked me back to be honest." But she also said that she feels let down by the police as they told her that the boys were known to them and suggested that it was unlikely they could do anything because of poor CCTV.
And Danielle said: "It makes sense how things like this happen every day because no one does anything about it, there's always women's rights movements but what's the point when things like this happen every day and no one intervenes." Her family have been supporting her and have written to some of Bristol's MPs, while Danielle's aunt Nicky Alpin said the incident was "horrible" and could have ended much worse because nobody defended her niece.
Nicky said: "She's so upset about it all, you shouldn't feel at the age of 26 on public transport that you are left to defend yourself. I mean, what if they did have a knife, would that be another headline that someone was tragically stabbed on a train with a guard leaving someone that is clearly asking for help?"
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: "British Transport Police received a report at 5.58pm on Sunday April 3 of a woman being threatened by a group of youths on-board a train near Bristol Temple Meads station. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing. Witnesses, or anyone with information can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 438 of 03/04/22."
A GWR spokesperson said: “We are really sorry. We expect that anyone should be able to travel on our trains without being abused by fellow passengers.
"Our staff receive training to manage incidents for the safety of all on board, however, ultimately only the police are able to investigate an allegation of a crime. British Transport Police are investigating and we will provide any assistance we can.”
