Well, I see there are some misconceptions here, first of all Pavane, Irish Travellers came to the us in the terror years of the Irish Famine, which your government used as a tool of genocide in our nation... They are not on the dole here, but have been gainfully employed since they were instrumental in care of horses during the Civil War. They are much more of a cultureal isolate in the US, and are generally small contractors and painters. "TINKERS!" Same on you! Tinkers are (like Kalderash or Coppersmith Roma - eastern European Gypsies) Travellers or Pavees who work mettal, like the "Tinker Devlins" the family of Buradette Develin McAlsiky. Not every Pavee is a Tinker, which has become a durogatory term for Travellers.
We Roma were not travelling Indian musicians, lingustics proves we (my mother is half Lovari) were Rajaput.
As to Ms. Toogood's identity, in the US, police and store security have racist guides to "what to do when Gypsies come to town, into stores etc..." We won a civil rights case to that effect in the North East. The fact is that I agree that slapping (her hand was open, did not punch the child) a child is not right, I don't agree with it... but the aftermath is clearly influenced by her ethnicity. Her sister was arrested, for not turning her in, the press has been using this as proof of the moral degridation of Travellers, when studdies show in the US there is much less child abuse in that community than the general population, her relitives have been threatened with being run out of towns in which they live, but this is not the story reported... All the best, Larry