A woman said a group of boys tormented her and threatened her with violence as she travelled alone on a train. Danielle Clarke said four boys harassed her by blowing on her face, touching her face and her ear, while a member of staff and other passengers did nothing.
The 26-year-old from Bristol said she was told she would be stabbed and one of them spat at her as she travelled on a train from Frome in Somerset to Bristol Temple Meads on Sunday, April 3 at around 5pm. She told Bristol Live that the four boys were aged between 12 and 14 and continued to torment her even after shouting at them to go away.
She had been sitting at a table on her own on a Great Western Railway service when the boys surrounded her and began intimidating her. She said: "I just felt helpless like no one was going to help me.
"It's one of those things, I kept thinking I should have done something a bit different but I defended myself." She shouted at the boys to go away but they repeatedly harassed her.
"They said give us your Instagram and we'll go away, they kept on blowing on my face, touching my face, touching my ear," she said. Danielle says that one of the boys threatened to stab her.
When a member of train staff walked past she asked him for help, but she says he just asked for her ticket repeatedly. She says the member of staff then asked the boys to leave the train at the next stop before walking away.
Danielle said: "It makes sense how things like this happen every day because no one does anything about it, there's always women's rights movements but what's the point when things like this happen every day and no one intervenes."
A GWR spokesperson apologised and said: “Our staff receive training to manage incidents for the safety of all on board, however, ultimately only the police are able to investigate an allegation of a crime." Danielle says that while she was being harassed, no one else on the train tried to help her except for one other woman, who the boys shouted at.
The group of boys left the train at the next station but she said one of them spat at her as they left. Danielle stayed on the train until she reached Temple Meads. She said that what the boys did to her was "horrific", but she has also criticised the passengers and the staff member who failed to help her.
When Danielle came off the train she was in tears, and a member of staff saw her and escorted her to the station's police office, where she filed a report. She says that she didn't sleep much that night and the day after the incident she was unable to go to work, and even though she is a "confident" person, the incident has shaken her.
A spokesperson for British Transport Police said: "British Transport Police received a report at 5.58pm on Sunday April 3 of a woman being threatened by a group of youths on-board a train near Bristol Temple Meads station. Enquiries into this incident are ongoing. Witnesses, or anyone with information can contact BTP by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 438 of 03/04/22."
A GWR spokesperson said: “We are really sorry. We expect that anyone should be able to travel on our trains without being abused by fellow passengers.
"Our staff receive training to manage incidents for the safety of all on board, however, ultimately only the police are able to investigate an allegation of a crime. British Transport Police are investigating and we will provide any assistance we can.”
