I live in fear says OAP punched on bus by girl, 14
A PENSIONER punched by a teenage girl in a row over a bus ticket said she cannot close her eyes without seeing the thug’s fist coming towards her.
Marion Endacott, 87, has been ‘ petrified’ of leaving home since the assault and lives in fear of coming face-toface with her attacker again, a court was told yesterday.
the pensioner was travelling home to Coulsdon, south London, on her normal bus route last october when the 14-yearold argued with the driver after refusing to pay her fare. When Miss Endacott pleaded that she needed to get home the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, laughed in her face before lashing out savagely.
Jonathan Efemini, prosecuting, said: ‘[the defendant] started laughing and she (Mrs Endacott) said: “It’s not funny.” In response to this the defendant is said to have punched her in the face. Now when she approaches a bus stop she is petrified.’
Croydon Youth Court heard in an emotional victim impact statement how since the incident Miss Endacott has lived in almost constant fear.
She said: ‘When I shut my eyes, especially when I go to the bus stop where it happened, I see her fist coming towards me. It’s frightening.’ She described how she once thrived on the independence gained from riding on the bus to and from her home and enjoyed talking with the drivers. But the attack, which left her needing hospital treatment for her badly bruised left eye, has destroyed her life.
‘Since I was attacked I am now so frightened – it has changed
‘It could have killed her’
me,’ she said. ‘I am now always looking over my shoulder.’ She now has to sleep with the lights on. ‘Even in my house when I hear a creak I get scared wondering if someone is there.
‘Sometimes I will go to sleep with the lights on. I feel better with them on.’ She added: ‘I am petrified of bumping into the girl who punched me.’ Miss Endacott said she still suffers twinges of pain in her face and no longer sits close to the drivers on buses so she can avoid any risk of future confrontations.
Raheema Jamal, defending the youth, said that she had a ‘troubled childhood’ and had anger management issues after being taken into care aged 12.
But sentencing the teenager yesterday, District judge peter Greenfield told her: ‘I can’t see any reason why you attacked her (Miss Endacott). this is serious because if the victim may have fallen back it could have killed her. It’s a random attack on a clearly very vulnerable woman.’
He imposed a four- month detention order, the maximum available for a defendant of that age. She will spend half the time in custody before undergoing a rehabilitation programme.