Terrifying ordeal after shift at hospital
An NHS worker has told of her terror after she was attacked by ‘out of control’ yobs on her bus journey home.
Diane Hawthorn had just finished her shift at St John’s Hospital when the feral gang, aged between 12-13, began hurling slurs at passengers and smashed an upstairs window on the vehicle at around 7pm on April 17.
The group were asked to leave the bus by the driver, but confronted Diane after making their way downstairs.
The 40-year-old, from Whitburn, claims they then smashed another window next to her face and pulled her off the bus by her hair.
Diane said one child then “sunk her teeth” into her knee during the horrific assault.
They then came downstairs and one got up in my face, grabbed my hair and pulled me off the bus. Diane Hawthorn
started punching the window with her fist to make the hole bigger.
“The driver phoned the police and they came along and looked at all the damage up and downstairs. They took a statement from me.
“Then my fiance came and picked me up. I was shaking like a leaf!”
Diane has been left black and blue after the shocking incident and the skin around her knee is cut and bruised.
Police confirmed they were called to the scene and that the parents of a 12-year-old girl have been spoken to.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.45pm on Wednesday, 17 April, 2024, officers received a report of damage to and an assault on a bus in the East Main Street area of Whitburn.
“The parent of a 12-year-old girl was spoken to and suitable advice was given.”
A spokesperson for Lothian Buses said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our buses, and are assisting Police Scotland with their investigations.”