ESTATE YOBS CLAIM TO BE `TERRORISTS

Aug 11 2005

Police pledge to crack downon `childish' gangof thugs

By Alan Lodge


YOUTHS battered an innocent pedestrian with an iron rod in a brutal attack at the Mill Quay estate on the Isle of Dogs.

Shocked residents witnessed the assault at around 7.45pm last Tuesday night (August 2) on the housing estate off Wheat Sheaf, just south of Millwall Dock.

An eyewitness, who lives on the estate, told The Wharf: ``I noticed a group of seven Asian teenagers prowling the estate in a menacing way, and calling themselves `terrorists'.

``From their attitude, it was immediately obvious that trouble was brewing.

``Only minutes later, I witnessed them use an iron rod to assault a pedestrian adjacent to Millwall Dock, followed immediately by an attempted assault on a jogger.

``Both attacks were completely unprovoked, and, in my opinion, racially motivated.''

The witness called the police, who promptly arrived on the scene, and he showed them photographs of the attackers he had taken while the drama unfolded.

However, the police were reluctant to follow the matter up as both victims, along with the gang, had since left the scene. ``I found this surprising, as therewere multiple witnesses and good photographs of the perpetrators, but also very frustrating as the youths in question are regular troublemakers on the estate,'' said the witness.

``While they (the police) were trying to convince me to drop the matter, both victims fortunately returned the scene.

``One of them had a deep red welt diagonally across his back from his hip to his shoulder.

``I understand that the police are currently under a lot of pressure. However, I am nevertheless disappointed with their reluctance to investigate a crime when the perpetrators are so easily identified.

``Small wonder that gangs such as these are able to roam estates such as Mill Quay, openly intimidating residents and causing trouble without any fear of the consequences.''

But police are not taking the attack lightly, particularly in view of the recent heightened state of security around London.

Chief inspector Gary Brown said the gang were being ``childish'' by calling themselves ``terrorists''. He added: ``We seem to be getting a lot of it in the borough.

``In the current climate it's very, very serious and we're jumping on it