Schoolboys ‘racially taunt’ Newbury Park woman

A woman claims she was racially abused by two schoolboys as she waited for a bus with her 10-year-old son, moments after they pelted her with stones and sticks.

Bushra Sara Khan, 41, says she was at a bus stop in Horns Road, Newbury Park, when the two boys aged 12 to 14 approached her.

“One of them came up to my face and started screaming,” she said.

“Then they started throwing sticks and stones at us and at my son’s legs.

“They were pushing each other on to me. They were swearing at me and I was getting angry with them. I swore back at them and that’s when the racist abuse started.”

Mother-of-two Mrs Khan, of Newbury Park, claims the racist abuse lasted for “about five minutes” and continued once she and her son boarded the No. 169 bus, before the pair – and two girls with them – went on to the top deck.

“One of them said: “OK I apologise. Do you accept my apology?” said Mrs Khan. “I just said “yes”. I could then see them starting on two Asian girls afterwards. The passengers were just watching.”

Redbridge police has confirmed it is investigating a case of racially aggravated common assault and CCTV footage from the bus may be viewed as part of that probe.

Mrs Khan, who has lived Britain all her life and is of Pakistani descent, said: “They have to know that what they did was wrong. They can’t go around thinking they can get away with it.

“It’s not acceptable if they want to live in a civilised society.”

Mrs Khan said the girls had told the boys to stop the abuse during the incident, which happened at about 6.45pm on Tuesday of last week.