Mum’s ‘panic’ as teen is hurt in firework attack
School issues alert after man ‘tries to lure girl into van’
AMOTHER has described the ‘utter panic’ she felt when told her only son had been injured in a firework attack that ‘could have maimed’ him.
Teenager Joe Maskrey was struck on the leg after two passing cars threw fireworks at him in an unprovoked assault as he waited for a bus on his own on Whitworth Road in Rochdale, leaving him with some muscle and nerve damage.
Joanne Maskrey, from Milnrow, now believes sales of fireworks should be restricted to organised displays or those with licenses.
It comes just a few weeks after the Observer reported on a similar incident less than a mile away where a man in his 60s suffered a burn to his leg after yobs launched a firework at him from a passing car.
About five minutes earlier a firework was also launched at The Oxford pub on Whitworth Road on
October 10. Following the attack on Joe, Joanne, 50, said: “I just don’t understand what’s going through somebody’s head to do that.
“There was no permanent damage but it doesn’t take away from the fact that someone purposefully went out and did that some mindless thuggery from people. It’s just one step away from a bullet. Inside is exactly the same it’s an explosive.”
A nursing assistant at Springhill Hospice, Joanne was at home on October 22 while her son, Joe, took his girlfriend home.
Just two hours later she got a phone call to say he had been hurt, causing her “utter panic”.
Joe, 17, was waiting for a bus on Whitworth Road after walking her home at around 8.30pm when a white car and a black car approached.
“He was just sat there and a car went past and slowed down and threw a firework out at him,” Joanne said.
“Then a second one did the same. One of them hit him on the leg and exploded. He was in serious shock. He managed to get out of the way of the first one but not the second one.
“It was a totally random attack and they absolutely ambushed him.
“They have seen a young lad on his own and thought they might be able to get their kicks from it.”
Joanne raced to the scene to find him laid out on the grass. Thankfully he had no burns and the neighbours had rushed out to help and wrapped him in blankets.
The mother-of-four said she heard of another incident that same night and now fears more and more attacks like this will happen until the law is changed and only those with an official license can buy them. “It’s ludicrous,” she said. “It’s crazy - there’s just fireworks going off everywhere.
“I always got the impression that they (fireworks) were for people to enjoy but they should be banned.”
Joe, who studies Uniform Public Services at Hopwood Hall, was fortunately unharmed but Joanne worries about the psychological effect the attack could have as he has been reluctant to get the bus alone since.
She said:“This was an assault. It could have ended up so much worse - if he hadn’t thrown himself out of the way when it was thrown he would have been maimed and been very badly injured for life.
“It could have really had an effect on him.”
PARENTS and students have been warned to be vigilant after a man ‘tried to lure a schoolgirl into his van’ outside a school in Rochdale.
The Oulder Hill Community School student was walking to school along Denehurst Road at around 8.30am on Thursday when the male approached her.
The man, who was said to be wearing dark clothing and a black hat, ‘attempted to coerce’ the pupil into his van which had blacked out windows.
But the girl involved thankfully got away and made it safely to the school on Hudsons Walk.
Following the incident, assistant head of the secondary school Danny Armitage issued a warning to parents and urged students to be vigilant.
The full message read: “We have been made aware that a white male wearing dark clothing and a black hat, attempted to coerce one of our students into a black van (with black out windows) earlier today.
“Thankfully, the young person involved got away and made it safely school.
“We are liaising with the police to follow this up and they are actively patrolling the local area.
“The incident happened in the Wilbutts Lane/Denehurst Park area. Please could we ask you to speak to your children about being possible to walk in groups and ensure someone knows where they are.
“We will be speaking with all students about keeping themselves safe also. In addition, staff here will continue to be a visible presence in the local area before and after school.”
A spokesperson for GMP confirmed that they received reports at around 8.50am on Thursday, October 31 of an attempted kidnap on Denehurst Road.
Police also confirmed that the student was a female. No arrests have been made.