News RSS Feed


Dad attacked while buying ice-cream for daughters

1:19pm Monday 12th May 2008

comment Comments (13)   Have your say »


A 37-year-old dad was viciously attacked by a gang of youths in Thornton Heath after buying ice-cream for his daughters.

The victim, described as a black man, was treated for a broken jaw after the attack which took place at 6pm yesterday on Winterbourne Road near Melfort Park.

“This was a vicious, unprovoked, unpleasant and horrible assault.”

He had gone into a newsagent to buy ice-cream for his two young daughters who were in his car, when a gang of teenage girls and boys tried to waterbomb the store. The man helped the shop keeper in closing the door to keep the gang out of the store.

A police spokesman said: "He was walking back to his daughters in the car when he heard a female voice say: 'That is the man who kept us out the shop.' He was then attacked by between 15 and 20 people.

"This was a vicious, unprovoked, unpleasant and horrible assault."

The attack happened near where a 17-year-old boy was stabbed during a six-a-side football game last week. The police say that the two crimes are not linked.

Anyone with information should call DS Heather Scott on 0208 649 0093 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourYour Local Guardian

Dr Udge, Upper Norwood says...
3:29pm Mon 12 May 08

Thornton Heath's been a no go zone for years now, I haven't seen police there for ages, I think they're too scared.

Report this post »

Born Thornton Heath, Thornton Heath says...
5:30pm Mon 12 May 08

True,you don't see police but I saw plenty of them combing the Melfort Park today. I enjoy using the park during the week but at the weekends it is full of groups of men which can be offputting. This morning the park looked a disgrace with left bottles and litter everywhere. The people who do this dont seem to care, It makes me feel so sad to hear of more violence in my hometown

Report this post »

Croyboy, says...
3:35am Tue 13 May 08

Relax people: crime is going down - and that's official.

Report this post »

Malcolm, Thornton Heath says...
7:26am Tue 13 May 08

Crime is going down? but not in Thornton Heath...I think its about time that the North of Croydon enpowers itself to
go for UDI from Croydon...at the present time the Council & the Police treat us with disrispect by telling us porkies that crime is going down.
We nead to be independant and take responsabilities into our own hands!!
by electing our own Police Commander and our own Council etc:
By the way what has happened to the Police Sector Meetings
in our Areas.

Report this post »

Chess, Thornton Heath says...
9:59am Tue 13 May 08

That is all well and good malcolm but how about coming up with some immediate and practical solutions.

Report this post »

Malcolm, Thornton Heath Croydon says...
12:47pm Tue 13 May 08

Well here are a few ideas that are bouth practical and can be implimented immediately!!!!
get ride of the inificiant Police Chief we have...and replace him with a real Policeman...
Recind the free bus travel for all school
pupils and introduce a
small fee(10p)for them to pay in cash
this way they will all be made to queue
up to get a ticket befor travelling.
This should controll there entrance onto the bus or tram.
Make all youngsters
who have been found
out on any crime by the police report into
a Police station three times a week for a month.
publish pictures of all youths who have committed misdeeds/crimes and details of same...ensure that if they are school pupils
there schools are informed.
Make carying a knife
by a junior/teenager an offence with a mandotory 1 week confinment.
Ensure that when police patrol an area they do so without a partner beside them
(i.e each on different sides of the road)

If you whant more just ask...every one of the above can be implimented within days.

Report this post »

Den, Wallington says...
1:33pm Tue 13 May 08

every one of the above can be implimented within days.

Unfortunatly Malcolm you are wrong. You see this country is full of too many "do gooders" so before anyone can make changes to the laws it has to go through parliment, and there is always someone who will insist that criminals have rights.

Report this post »

C, SW London says...
4:20pm Tue 13 May 08

Send the "do-gooders" to Thorton Heath. See what good they can do!

Report this post »

Ellei, TH says...
4:52pm Tue 13 May 08

I used to go to this school and im pretty sure i've been in the sweet shops in the surrounding area and am quite surprised by the attack but not surprised by the rec being a bad place. I assume the rec is Melfort Park? That place is full of dog **** and needles and whatever else that's in the stream below.

Report this post »

big ron, croydon **** hole says...
6:05pm Tue 13 May 08

The disadvantaged monkeys strike again.

Report this post »

Malcolm, Thornton Heath says...
6:41pm Tue 13 May 08

DEN
I stated that every one of the suggestions "could be" implimented in days
not that they would be...you are right
about what you say and the point is that
now the only people who have no fear of crime are criminals-
this is a fact that our police and our politicians dismiss at there peril.

Report this post »

halle, cheam says...
2:16pm Wed 14 May 08

Malcolm wrote:
Well here are a few ideas that are bouth practical and can be implimented immediately!!!! get ride of the inificiant Police Chief we have...and replace him with a real Policeman... Recind the free bus travel for all school pupils and introduce a small fee(10p)for them to pay in cash this way they will all be made to queue up to get a ticket befor travelling. This should controll there entrance onto the bus or tram. Make all youngsters who have been found out on any crime by the police report into a Police station three times a week for a month. publish pictures of all youths who have committed misdeeds/crimes and details of same...ensure that if they are school pupils there schools are informed. Make carying a knife by a junior/teenager an offence with a mandotory 1 week confinment. Ensure that when police patrol an area they do so without a partner beside them (i.e each on different sides of the road) If you whant more just ask...every one of the above can be implimented within days.
Malcolm I think that you have some good ideas... but I don't quite understand why they all apply to young people. What about all the older people that commit crime? I totally understand that a lot of local areas suffer with problems caused by young people, but I think it's unfair to blame them for everything. Your idea about youths carrying weapons is a good one, but what about adults that carry them? - your ideas would never work as it's age discrimination.
At what age do you believe children become 'yobos and troublesome' and at what age do they stop? - I am 18 and cant guarentee that I havent ever been like some of the kids i've seen.. the truth is they will never change, so your ideas would work provided they were used throughout all of the deliquents lives.

Report this post »

ANNE GILES, SELSDON says...
10:36pm Fri 23 May 08

Instead of pretending our Borough Commander is at fault, try contacting your Safer Neighbourhood Team in Thornton Heath. Sgt. Ieuan Isaac, 020-8721-2058, based at Ambassador House in Brigstock Road, or e-mail him or the team at ThorntonHeathsnt@met
.police.uk The team consists of one Sergeant, two Constables and 5 PCSOs. It's pointless whingeing and whingeing if none of you are prepared to act. Then contact Sarah Gardner at Croydon Police Station and let her know that you would each like to start up your own Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. Instead of watching daft programmes on TV, you'll be able to help your local community.

Report this post »

Comments are closed on this article.

In this section

Sponsored Links



Local Links


Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »