Yobs attacked Bristol driving instructor and pupil
A Bristol driving instructor needed plastic surgery after he was attacked by a gang of youths, some believed to be as young as 10.
Mohammad Butt and his pupil were assaulted during a driving lesson in Southmead.
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Mr Butt suffered a deep gash to his hand as he tried to defend himself.
During the attack, his car windows were smashed, leaving his 18-year-old pupil with a shard of glass in his eye.
Mr Butt underwent an operation at Frenchay Hospital and was left without the use of his hand for three days.
Now he is waiting for it to heal so he can drive and work again.
Mr Butt, a 35-year-old instructor with the British School of Motoring, was midway through the lesson on Monday December 22 when the attack happened in Lowther Road.
He said: "We had just finished a reverse parking manoeuvre when this gang of six or seven young lads came from behind the car and rode past on mountain bikes.
"Half were on the road side and half were on the pavement, and as they cycled past they kicked the wing mirrors, smashing the glass and breaking the coverings off.
"They were teenagers, but one or two of them were really quite young – about 10 years of age."
The group disappeared around a corner and Mr Butt got out to fix the mirrors.
But as they were about to drive away the gang returned, and Mr Butt got out again to confront them.
He said: "I tried to grab one of them so that I could call the police.
"One of them, the eldest, who was in his late teens, pulled the metal saddle stem out his bike.
"He lifted it over his head and swung at my head.
"My natural reaction was to put my hand up to stop it, and I got a very deep gash across my right hand.
"When I saw the blood pouring out I started to worry that if it got any worse they would attack my pupil. He was so scared he couldn't even move.
"This boy had physically assaulted me, and the others were shouting abuse, screaming 'do you want some more?'"
Mr Butt got into the car behind his pupil, but as he called the police the youth with the bar smashed the windscreen and rear passenger window, leaving him with glass in his ear and his pupil with a shard in his eye.
After the gang disappeared the emergency services arrived and the pair were taken by ambulance to Frenchay Hospital.
X-rays found Mr Butt's hand was not broken, but the following day he had a 20-minute plastic surgery operation to repair the deep two-inch laceration.
Doctors found the nerves in his hand were bruised, and he couldn't use it for three days.
He also had to cancel a Christmas trip to visit family in London as his injury left him unable to drive.
Mr Butt, who is married and has an eight-month-old baby, said: "I am angry. We didn't do anything and they did a considerable amount of damage.
"It would have been much worse if they had hit me on the head, and I was lucky I got my hand up in time.
"I don't know how long I am going to be off work, but as I am self-employed I am losing money.
"My other concern is that the area where this happened isn't very safe.
"Last year youths threw stones at my car during a lesson, and a couple of months ago someone tried to steal a sat-nav from another instructor.
"But I can't avoid going back there, as it is a specified test route from the Southmead driving test centre.
"Even if the police catch them nothing is going to happen.
"The law is not tough enough and doesn't work as a deterrent.
"If they are doing this kind of thing at this age what are they going to be like when they are older, and what are their parents doing?
"If they are not caught, the message is they can go out and do things like this and just get away with it."
Police spokeswoman Claire Stanley said: "This was a particularly nasty incident that appears to have been entirely unprovoked, and we are treating it as a high priority.
"House-to-house investigations have been carried out, and shortly after the incident a search of the area was conducted to try to track the alleged culprits down.
"No arrests have been made as yet and there was no CCTV footage but investigations are ongoing."
14 Comments
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by mum, bristol
Wednesday, January 07 2009, 1:31AM
“as far as i am concerned if your man enoughe to do the crime your man enoughe to do the time regardless of your age.The goverment go about how there is not room in prisons to house scum like that so asbos and tagging are giving instead! well i say stop using the cells for stupid things like non payment of council tax and use them for what intended for putting people behind bars for crimes as seroius as this. not enoughe money goes in to protecting are streets to stop things like this happing to inocent people like mohammad and his pupil”
by Denise, Bristol
Monday, January 05 2009, 7:44PM
“My heart goes out to Mohammad i can say i know how your feeling as i was the Instructor that was attacked last year on lowther rd i keep thinking they will pick on the wrong person one day but thats not going to make you feel any better im going to court next week hoping to keep one yob in side where he belongs,
I konw the lads, they put there bikes in front of my car but luck enough did move them.
When will they take southmead off the test routes .
I dont go into southmead area unless i notify other instructors as the police dont or cant do anything i had a broken nose but as i couldnt identify the 19 year old nothing came of it please take care in this area locking your doors isn't stopping them.”
by steven, germany
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 6:10PM
“somebody will definitly know who they are but are probably made of the same cowardly ilk as them. only attacking a safe target to impress their friends and their own ego,s.”
by ANDY. T, KINGSWOOD
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 5:16PM
“Somebody must know who these thugs are do the decent thing and hand them in otherwise maybe your as bad as they are!”
by john B, Bristol
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 3:31PM
“Well with no disipline in the schools and none at home (usually) what do you expect..The "little darlings" know thay cannot be touched an can get away with it.I blame the "Do Gooders" and the "Human Rights" brigade for a lot of this.,the ones that say you cannot slap a child even in your own home ??.When I was a kid I got a slap if I did wrong at home,and the cane if I did wrong at school.I soon learnt the lesson and rarely did it again.What was that old saying,"Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child ??.”
by steven, germany
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 3:19PM
“don,t worry these little yobs will pick on the wrong person at sometime i know that from experience of being jumped by gangs and giving them a good sorting out.the look of suprise on their faces is priceless.”
by Gene Hunt, Hyde 1973
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 3:07PM
“These feral scum want a dose of their own medicine. I've seen at first hand what these little pieces are like in gangs with no fear of adults.
Perhaps the driving instructors and examiners could all take up baseball...”
by Debs, United Kingdom
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 2:52PM
“Not really surprising news these days is it. These little scumbags are allowed to get away with murder and they know it. Not long ago my 15 year old son was with his friend near the Wayfarer pub on their way home to Filton. They were approached by 2 hoodies who asked my son for a fag. When my son said he didn't have any, 1 of the hoodies called him a "lying C***" and punched him in the face. This stunned my son for a moment, so his friend threw a punch at the hoodie and knocked him to the floor. When my son regained his composure he jumped off his bike and kicked the hoodie square in the face. The hoodie with blood gushing from his nose, and his spotty mate legged it then as fast as they could. I have always told my son that if i found out he had been out fighting etc, i would kill him, but in that instance i was dead chuffed that he did what he did. Unfortunately if the driving examiner did the same thing to those scumbags, he would have been hauled off to jail as he is an adult. Bring back proper discipline and borstals, or set up tough boot camps. It's the only way to deal with these little scumbags.”
by Steven, North Bristol
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 12:04PM
“MikeMSN, this has nothing to do with free education and health care (which is everyone;s right) but everythinhg to do with being raised by people who have no idea of parenthood or how to install repect and discipline into their feral offspring.
The feckless parents of these animlas shoul,d be punished as well as their children.”
by Louise, Bristol
Wednesday, December 31 2008, 11:41AM
“I hope the pupil is ok and the glass in his eye did no permanent damage.
This behaviour is disgusting and I hope they catch these gang members and give them more than the hug David Cameron thinks they deserve.”