Tuesday 12 April 2011

The ‘Don’t Get Involved’ Generation…

Commuters read their papers and ignored a schoolgirl as she was assaulted by a drunken woman, her family have claimed.
That’s hardly a surprise, you’d have thought…
May Rubery, 15, was physically and verbally assaulted for almost 10 minutes on a train journey in Lancashire.

She was on a packed rush-hour train from Blackburn to Clitheroe when she was confronted by Yvonne Maynard, 51.

Maynard pulled the girl's hair, dragged her nails down her back and shouted abuse for eight minutes.
And of course, no-one intervened.
But May's stepfather Paul Barlow says commuters in the same carriage did nothing to stop the attack or come to her aid.

'There are no Good Samaritans left,' he said. 'You would think people would stand up and say something to her, at least take her attention away from the child.'
Perhaps they thought the aggressor would turn on them, or would accuse them of an offence, or perhaps they even thought the girl had done something to deserve that treatment.

And let's not forget that they've been conditioned to believe that resolving this sort of issue is someone else's job, someone with the right training and equipment.
The schoolgirl said: 'I was on the train and my friend made me laugh. Next thing she was screaming "Are you laughing at me?"

'I didn't know what she was going to do. I got really scared. She was shouting and saying very strange things then she started calling me names.

'She grabbed me by the arms. People were looking at her and at me at first and then some people started to hide behind their newspapers.
Of course, nothing happens to her – she’s got ‘problems with alcohol’ (i.e. she can’t stop pouring it down her throat).
Maynard, from Salford, pleaded guilty to assault at Blackburn Magistrates' Court following the incident on September 1.

She was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, made subject to community supervision for 12 months and ordered to pay May £100 compensation.
Whuich the taxpayer will pay, of course. She’s almost certainly unemployed.
Annette Shaw, defending, said Maynard had an alcohol problem and was quite often the subject of ridicule, abuse and violent behaviour by youths on public transport.

She said: 'She perceived these young people were going to be cruel to her and she reacted aggressively.'
Oh, well, that’s all right then. Pre-emptive strikes on innocent targets are practically de rigueur these days…

12 comments:

The Pennine Way said...

"had an alcohol problem and was quite often the subject of ridicule, abuse and violent behaviour by youths on public transport"

Okay, so she drinks like a fish out of water. Okay, so a drunk on public transport does attract derogatory comments on their journey. But... where was she going at the time? Couldn't she have stayed at home in Salford and been abused on the public transport there? She could even have ventured into Manchester for a bit of variety.

For the life of me I can't think what the attraction of the train journey from Blackburn to Clitheroe is, unless it was to go and pay homage to the memory of the Clitheroe Kid.

WV = reade = I doe, I really doe!

Edwin Greenwood said...

More years ago than I care to admit, I was travelling on the Northern line. It was fairly quiet and there were perhaps a dozen people in the carriage. A down and out-looking bloke, either high or drunk or both, began wandering around the carriage, systematically verbally abusing each of the women in turn. He didn't appear to be dangerous, just a fucking nuisance.

I decided I'd had enough and, as the train entered Belsize Park, or wherever it was that we were, I guided him firmly to the door and ejected him from the train.

Now I wasn't expecting a round of applause or hugs and kisses from the grateful company, but the reaction of the passengers was fascinating. I had become "tainted" by association with this herbert, and people actually moved away from me to sit elsewhere in the carriage.

It don't inspire confidence in the support and protection of the community, do it?

Jim said...

What are the odds if some public spirited person (male probably) has attempted to restrain this woman, and in the ensuing melee (which would have undoubtedly resulted) had slapped/punched/roughly manhandled her, that he would have been no 1 on the list for arrest when the police eventually turned up? And that very few if any of the bystanders would have been prepared to back up his version of the affair?

Who would want to risk the CPS deciding it was 'in the public interest' for them to be charged with something or other, and risk getting a criminal record, which could affect their job/career/relationship in multiple negative ways? Whereas the woman committing the assault would suffer virtually no consequences from her actions.

Is it any wonder people pass by on the other side, to use the Biblical analogy, when the 'justice' system appears to have abandoned all pretence of having any connection to its own name?

Anonymous said...

I was on a bus a few weeks ago and three slappers were on the top deck.They were playing their music very loud,throwing rubbish around and barracking other kids.The songs were gangster rap type and every time the F word was being used they joined in loudly.I looked around and saw everyone tutting.Eventually I stood up shouted that if they didn't turn that crap off and sit down I would throw their IPOD out of the window.I expected other passengers to agree with me but one man actually said "dont do that,I will stop you".One of the slappers said "i'm a juvenile,I can do what I like".I was boiling inside.In the end I sat down next to them and made them feel uncomfortable until they got off.When they asked me why I was doing that I replied "i'm old,I can do what I like".
No physical violence involved but had it happened I would have been on my own...
Jaded

Anonymous said...

Note the comment from a former PC where he says that he has intervened in these sort of incidents on three occasions, once he was arrested but later released without charge and on the other two occasions he received a warning from the police.
Little wonder that the other passengers hid behind their newspapers.

Hexe said...

What would you have done -- walked over and clocked the mad bint, just to find that she fights better than you because she's had years or practice?

Because that is what you're asking here... no-one who is like her is going to stop if you attempt to reason with them, and if it's a lunatic who is refusing to take their drugs, you may be in a lot of trouble if they confuse you with one of the demons.

And if she's taken certain script drugs with alcohol she may not even feel serious blows (broken bones etc) but keep going like an zombified energizer bunny.

JuliaM said...

"But... where was she going at the time? Couldn't she have stayed at home in Salford and been abused on the public transport there?"

Curious, isn't it? If I were 'routinely abused' on public transport, I wouldn't take it!

"Now I wasn't expecting a round of applause or hugs and kisses from the grateful company, but the reaction of the passengers was fascinating. I had become "tainted" by association with this herbert, and people actually moved away from me to sit elsewhere in the carriage."

Good grief! How brainwashed have we become, that only 'authority' should ever deal with a problem, and anyone else who does might be a danger

"Is it any wonder people pass by on the other side, to use the Biblical analogy, when the 'justice' system appears to have abandoned all pretence of having any connection to its own name?"

No. No, it really isn't.

"I expected other passengers to agree with me but one man actually said "dont do that,I will stop you".One of the slappers said "i'm a juvenile,I can do what I like"."

*sigh* More and more, I think we're doomed as a country...

JuliaM said...

"Note the comment from a former PC where he says that he has intervened in these sort of incidents on three occasions, once he was arrested but later released without charge and on the other two occasions he received a warning from the police."

Depressing, isn't it?

"What would you have done -- walked over and clocked the mad bint, just to find that she fights better than you because she's had years or practice?"

That's precisely the point Shijuro makes in the link. And it's true, as far as physical restraint goes.

But what was wrong with someone attempting to distract her, or go fetch a conductor, or pull the cord, or even see if the girl was OK after the woman had left?

The fact that no-one did anything even after the event is rather shocking.

Hexe said...

Julias, you wonder what's wrong with helping?

1. The damage was superficial, nothing much happened and, most of the time, nothing much will happen afterwards either, even if they catch the culprit.

2. By the time the conductor/police gets there, she's long left, and if you're unlucky, you spend the rest of the evening explaining things to the cops after waiting a long while.

3. The cops are not that tidy with their information they give out to the assailant and most of the time the assailant can easily find out who grassed her up and who is accusing her and where they live, and then you have future problems with the crim(s) who will have their own concept of 'justice'.

The three monkeys send their kind regards...

Rob said...

That blog you linked to is misleading - while most such cases don't reach court, the case stays with the Criminal Protection Service for months while they dangle you on their hook.

Worth the arrest, months of waiting to find out, DNA recorded, possibly fired from your job? No.

Paul said...

I live not so far from Clitheroe.

Would you have intervened? That drunken slapper might be drunk but she could be extremely dangerous. People like that don't fight clean - they want to do serious damage in their crazed stupor.

People like that cannot be reasoned with and you'll just end up with a severe kicking. The police don't care; they're largely apathetic to and seem to have a disdain for the general public. The scum of the Earth are their clients now, not people who just get on with their lives in peace.

We don't have a justice system. All the comments here (plus the fact that I've never been in a fight, don't know how to defend myself, and the likely possibility that no-one would back me up if I challenged such people) means that I am very likely to stay out of it.

JuliaM said...

"The three monkeys send their kind regards..."

And there's the problem. Yes, all those things MIGHT happen. But if we do nothing out of fear that they will, are we not building exactly the sort of society we claim we don't want?

"Worth the arrest, months of waiting to find out, DNA recorded, possibly fired from your job? No."

Yes, that's something that is not really addressed on ANY police blog. Except for Nightjack's defunct one.

"The police don't care; they're largely apathetic to and seem to have a disdain for the general public."

I cling to the belief that they aren't all like that. Not yet.