Racist girls leave woman battered in Birmingham bus stop attack
The victim was waiting at a bus stop when she was approached by two female youths and subjected to a horror attack
Selene, who is originally from Hong Kong, was subjected to a racial attack whilst waiting for bus in Erdington (Image: Selene)
birminghammail.co.uk
- 15:54, 3 SEP 2024
- UPDATED16:14, 3 SEP 2024
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A woman was left traumatised after she was brutally beaten by youths and during a racist attack. The victim, who only gave her name as Selene, was waiting for the bus in, Erdington, when she was approached by a pair of females.
One subjected Selene, who is originally from Hong Kong, to a string of vile names. But when she challenged them and started recording the incident she was then dragged into the road and assaulted whilst screaming for help.
She was repeatedly hit and only managed to escape by getting on to a passing bus. When she called police she was told that half a dozen people had already dialled 999 reporting the horrific attack which happened around 7.30pm on August 26.
Selene, who is her 30s, was left with a broken nose, extensive bruising. She said she kept replaying the traumatic incident in her mind. But she hoped by publicising the attack someone will contact the police and stop others suffering.
Selene said she was waiting for the number 28 to Heartlands Hospital at the Dovedale Road bus stop when a girl came and sat down. She smiled to her but then a second girl approached her and started calling Selene racist names.
Selene, who came to the country two years ago, said she was "shocked" and asked, "what did you say" but the girl continued to abuse her whilst laughing. She said: "As I noticed it was a hate crime, I started recording with my phone. The first girl noticed that and started getting angry, she grabbed my phone. I tried to get it back but failed.
"She threw my phone to the road and I was dragged onto the road as well. She held me down.
"I can't recall all the details of how they then attacked me but I remember being hit In my face and head by the girls. I felt blood on my jaw. My glasses were knocked off, though I didn’t realize it at the time.
"Some cars and pedestrians stopped and asked what was happening. I screamed something like, “They’re racist! They attacked me! Call the police!”
"I held onto the girl’s clothes, hoping someone would help me. Another girl, who is part of their group, kept telling me to let her go. I loosened my grip due to exhaustion."
Selene's phone was thrown into a grassy area. After retrieving it, she escaped by jumping on to a bus where a passenger came to her aid.
The bus driver stopped after one stop and together with the woman who was comforting her, they waited for the police. The police arrived within five minutes and took her back to the original bus stop.
She said: "While sitting in the police car, I realized I had lost my glasses. The police found them on the road but they were destroyed. They told me they had received six calls reporting the incident."
The police took Selene to hospital where she was treated for a broken nose and injuries to her knee and bruises on her back, hips and arms. She is now seeking help for her psychological injuries.
She does not want to leave her home and feels insecure walking on the streets or even being in a store. She added she has lost her appetite and can't sleep at night without going over the attack. She said: "I'm experiencing trauma, and I have no idea when I will be able to recover."
West Midlands Police said: "We are investigating after a racially-aggravated assault at a bus stop in Birmingham. Around 7.30pm on 26 August, a woman was at the bus stop in Lambert Close when she was approached by a group, who then assaulted her.
"Enquiries are ongoing to speak to witnesses and gather CCTV evidence of the assault. Anyone who saw what happened can contact us via 101 or Live Chat quoting crime number 20/788970/24."
