‘Stupid’youthsinjure girlin reworkattack
AN EIGHT year-old Orthodox Jewish girl suffered minor burns to her leg after a group of youths shot a firework at her and other Jewish children.
Video footage released by the Shomrim Jewish volunteer security group shows a gang of five teenagers loitering on Cranwich Road in Hackney, east London.
The footage shows two of the youths lighting the firework as the others scatter. It is then pointed and fired at a group of Jewish children walking down the street.
One of the youths was briefly grabbed by a passer-by but managed to escape before the police arrived.
The girl, who had travelled from Canada to London with her family to visit her grandparents, was left shaken by the incident.
Her burns were treated on the scene by a first-aider who was a member of her family.
Shulem Stern, a spokesman for Shomrim, said: “Their actions were stupid and extremely dangerous. Luckily on this occasion no one was seriously hurt.
“I welcome the renewed commitment of the Metropolitan Police Commander Julian Bennett, that ‘anyone caught committing firework related offences will be arrested and taken into police custody’, as a robust approach is needed, before someone is seriously hurt and killed.”
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the incident was not being treated as a hate crime and no arrests had been made, although inquiries were continuing.
“There were no reports of any injuries at the time although the parents of a girl who was present stated her clothing had been marked by the firework as a result of the incident,” said the spokesperson.
“It is an offence to throw or let off a firework in a street or public place and this incident demonstrates the dangers of doing so.”