A woman whose two children were arrested after one had forgotten their Oyster card has said they were treated with disproportionate force because of the colour of their skin.
The two brothers, aged 13 and 15, were making their way to school on Monday when they were stopped by rail staff because the 13-year-old did not have an Oyster card with him.
According to British Transport Police (BTP), the younger boy was initially arrested on suspicion of fare evasion before being de-arrested and issued with a penalty fare, while the 15-year-old was arrested on suspicion of common assault and possession of an offensive weapon, then taken into police custody before being released under no further action.
Footage of the incident, which circulated across social media, showed the 15-year-old boy being held against the wall by several rail staff, while according to other reports an officer had held him by the neck.
I was one of those two women, thanks @Toddpodd. I am furious and heartbroken by what I saw on Monday. Photos/video stills shared with parental permission.
— Anu Obaro (@anu_obaro) December 6, 2022
A thread 🧵 1/n https://t.co/Ug0nMqegoX
According to Sabreena, the mother of the two boys, the response by the station staff to a child not having an Oyster card, which was to call several police officers, was disproportionate and would not have happened if they had not been black.
“My son just thought that it would be train staff giving him a hard time and that he would be on his way soon, not realising that was not going to be the case,” Sabreena said. She then added that her 15-year-old son tried to intervene and de-escalate the situation, which was when the rail staff restrained him against the wall.
Sabreena said her 13-year-old son had been left terrified by the incident. “He hasn’t been back to school, he’s just terrified. He doesn’t want to go out by himself,” she said.
Although the BTP arrested the 15-year-old on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, Sabreena said her son had a rock with him to bring to school for a geography class looking at the corrosion of rocks.
Sabreena believes the amount of force and officers used was disproportionate, and would not have happened if her sons were not black. “We know everything that happens to young black boys, and how we know the police interact with them. [Arrest] is not the procedure if a child does not have their pass,” she said.
“I just think they were treated as adults, and not children. This is trauma they are going to have to deal with for the rest of their lives.
“The boys were trying to avoid being pinned to the floor because they both said that they thought they would die, and my oldest said: ‘I thought I would die, I thought they were going to kill me.’
“Watching him go from this happy bubbly character to this kind of withdrawn, sad and depressed child is so painful. I don’t think they think that when they’re manhandling children, it’s going to be with them for the rest of their lives.”
In a statement, the BTP said: “Officers were at Shortlands station on the morning of 5 December assisting rail staff as they checked tickets.
“Two teenage boys were stopped by rail staff and one did not show a valid ticket. He was initially arrested on suspicion of fare evasion before being de-arrested at the scene and issued with a penalty fare.
“The second male was arrested on suspicion of common assault and possession of an offensive weapon. He was taken to police custody and was released a short time later with no further action taken against him.
“We are aware of concerns on social media regarding this incident and will be reviewing it fully – looking at CCTV, body-worn camera footage from the involved officers and speaking with our colleagues at Southeastern.
A senior officer will also be reaching out to the family.”
