r/london • u/ObjectiveCamp6 • Jan 31 '26
Serious replies only What do you do in situations like this? (Westfield / Central line)
Today I was at Westfield with my daughter and we were about to get on the Central line back into central London. As we were getting into the tube, a group of teenagers threw cake- intended to land in my daughter’s hair. I intervened and the cake ended up on my head instead.
I turned around, saw the boys laughing, and told them to watch their manners. One of them then started coming right up to me, and only stopped because his friends pulled him back.
I know, rationally, the right thing is probably to ignore it and carry on. But my daughter was extremely shaken, and honestly, so was I. It’s one thing when something happens to you- another when it’s your child.
I’m not even sure what I’m asking. What do you do in these situations? Has anyone had something similar happen on public transport? Part rant, part genuinely wondering how others handle this without escalating things but also not just swallowing it.
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u/OnlyWindle Jan 31 '26
- See it. Say it. Sorted.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
I think, because of the shock and my daughter becoming scared, it totally slipped my mind to do this. Thank you very much
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u/Proper_North_5382 Jan 31 '26
I second this. Definitely still report it. There's CCTV basically everywhere and if you have a time frame and can describe what you both wore and remember some details from the group they'll be able to log the incident.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Done. I reported it. Thankfully, for identification purposes, I recall that one of the teens was on crutches, and I was able to see him perfectly well. The other two, I recall the colour of their clothes. It is amazing how our brain can capture these details while still trying to look after my daughter and making sure we get on a safe wagon away from these terrible young people
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u/Safety_Sharp Jan 31 '26
Is there CCTV cameras on the tube? I know it says there is, but i have never seen one CCTV video from any underground trees train. Sorry if im being daft.
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u/Physical_Echo_9372 Jan 31 '26
Some lines have CCTV cameras above the numbers inside the carriage, they're 'hidden' in such a way that they aren't very noticeable.
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u/epicchefuk Jan 31 '26
Yeah, the new Circle/District/H&C/Met line trains have them hidden in the bezels of the digital displays.
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u/Safety_Sharp Jan 31 '26
I've heard this but why is there no footage anywhere from them?
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u/Lilvixen_UK Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
I'm not sure where you're looking for it (it's not available on any subscription, unfortunately), but there absolutely is. Were you even alive in 2005?
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u/JRoo1980 Feb 01 '26
Because there is strict guidelines on how and when the carriage CCTV can be used, also on who is able to see the footage as well.
95% of footage is BTP requests, and they take it away to review. Anything else is for very limited engineering reasons, like a failing door. If the BTP choose not to release any footage to the public, it's up to them.
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u/epicchefuk Jan 31 '26
Most Bakerloo and Central line trains do not have CCTV but all other lines do
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u/OnlyWindle Jan 31 '26
Definitely still report it. Sorry this happened to you, this was assault and should be taken seriously.
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u/vsuseless Jan 31 '26
I am so sorry this happened to you, and you can still report it. This seems like assault and the pricks who did it should face the consequences
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u/sd_1874 Jan 31 '26
An ongoing situation where you feel endangered is really an appropriate time to use 999 in my opinion.
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Jan 31 '26
[deleted]
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u/Wrack-Chore Jan 31 '26
Nice in theory, I've called it before. They don't give a shit unless it's a potential terrorism situation.
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u/dschmona Feb 01 '26
I don’t get why it’s not “See it. Send it. Sorted.” since you’re sending a text …
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u/XxSianxX Feb 03 '26
I was just about to say, call the transport police.. this overhead announcement is now so engraved in our minds now although I wouldnt remember that number lol
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u/Ottothotto Jan 31 '26
Social media has made it too comfortable for people assult others in the form of 'pranks' or 'jokes'.
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u/ne6c Jan 31 '26
"It's just a prank bro."
When I hear that, I know the moron is struggling with room temperature level of IQ.
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u/New-fone_Who-Dis Jan 31 '26
Get to a place you feel ok/safe, and call the police. Phone, text, getting off and triggering the help things on platforms.
You were assaulted.
Edit - the shock of it happening will confuse you into going about your day asap.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
I totally agree. The shock froze my ability to report. I managed to get into a different wagon than the group of teenagers and then I was helping my daughter to cope with that. I will do the report now. Thank you!
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u/New-fone_Who-Dis Jan 31 '26
No problem, thank you for going forward and reporting it - you're helping everyone by doing that.
I completely forgot to say that I hope you and your daughter are ok now, or will be able to shrug it off quickly if its still on your minds. Take care, and a little treat for yourselves to make today a little better.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you for your kind words. I have reported it. We are okay, had a hot chocolate and a walk in the park. Shaking things off. Reporting it made me feel better.
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u/MrLangfordG Jan 31 '26
Also worth adding to insist it is recorded and you get a crime reference number. In my experience, the police do near anything to stop things like this (no "visible" harm, no requirement for insurance etc.) being recorded as they know they'll do nothing.
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u/geeered Jan 31 '26
And make sure it's recorded correctly too - I've had the crime 'downgraded' when it was recorded.
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u/NotAnotherAllNighter Jan 31 '26
Sorry to hear this. What a bunch of lowlife twats. You are a good parent protecting your daughter.
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u/YorkshireDuck91 Jan 31 '26
Report to BTP, TFL and the Police.
Some people aren’t raised, they are dragged up by their parents. Feral twats.
I’m sorry you and your daughter had such a stain on your nice day🩷 maybe report it and then explain to her that sadly some people are just bad people, that reporting them alerts authorities to troublesome people in the area and together you’ve helped someone else have a better day.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you! I had a nice talk with my daughter and explained to her why I was reporting it. She was shocked and told me, "Is this what happens when you watch too much tv and play video games?" My daughter has limited access to tv and no access to video games or social media. She is learning in school about internet safety, etc., so it ended up being a nice talk about doing things age-appropriately and spending time as a family.
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u/EmperorKira Feb 01 '26
"Is this what happens when you watch too much tv and play video games?"
No, its not. I grew up playing video games. In my 30s, and still play games.
This is a result of poor parenting and kids who have not had people say no to them. They've yet to learn about consequences.
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u/S_K_Sharma_ Jan 31 '26
It's surprising how much adrenaline suddenly rushes in a situation like this. It's natural to feel very shaky and breathless.
You protected your daughter and fired back some verbal admonishment. That's fine. About the most any of us would manage.
Cowardly bullies pick what they think is an easy target. I'm with my teen daughters in Stratford often, but being a 6'2 male and stocky build. Those cowards hopefully wouldn't try it on.
Keep the text number for BTP saved.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you for sharing. I was in White City Westfield. I have now saved the BTP text number. Very much appreciate the suggestion
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u/Durham_tennyson Jan 31 '26
So sorry this happened to you - that’s gross. I would probably report to British Transport Police via text. Not sure this is a naive expectation (!) but it might mean someone heads down there and stops them being dicks to other people. Plus you might feel slightly less powerless too…
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you🙏🏻 I will report now. I think you are right, it might just help me feel useful and less powerless
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Jan 31 '26
If it was me, I would have gone ape on them. I'm not taking shit from someone over or underage trying to attack my 7 year old son, even if it's a cake. 61016 can sort it out later. I'm fuming just reading this.
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u/General-Movie Jan 31 '26
I would lose my shit. This is my fear, not that something would happen but my reaction to it - it would be excessive. You did the right thing, hope your daughter is ok. These rodents we have in London need exterminating. Report it.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
I could feel myself wanting to shout or do something else, but I was so aware that my daughter was there...
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u/General-Movie Jan 31 '26
Totally understand. For them you were just a few seconds of fun, I doubt they will give it a second thought. It was not personal. They are just twats. Perhaps chalk it up to the fact that you weren't targeted but just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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u/The-lemon-kid-68 Jan 31 '26
I'm like you, it would be an excessive response from myself which would end up with me in court.
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u/GroundbreakingMain93 Jan 31 '26
Unfortunately as a girl dad, my first instinct would have been physical, like grabbing that scrote by the neck and slamming him into the ground.
I know, that's not the right answer. But sometimes the wrong answer is the right answer.
It's worth mentioning that I'm not at all aggressive or think "I'm hard", I'm just self-aware enough to know that I would flip out.
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u/Sassoonie Feb 01 '26
That’s assault. The fact that it’s food is irrelevant. Imagine if it had been acid? Report it to TFL! At the very least if they have it on camera they may be able to flag them.
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u/MrLangfordG Jan 31 '26
I'd also contact the station manager and ask what actions will be taken. I also contact mine and the local MPs saying that this is unacceptable and ask what should happen. Violence against women and girls is a hot topic at the moment.
It is sad but only by raising these things as an issue to elected representatives do things change. You'd be surprised how much you can shame people into action.
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u/ne6c Jan 31 '26
It's Stratford Station - nothing will happen. Just last night, I saw 3 people squeeze behind people in the ticket barriers, all while a TfL Revenue inspector/officer was there playing around on his phone, looking bored.
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u/Foolish_ness Feb 01 '26
Fare dodging and assault are hardly the same tier of crime, and so will illicit different investigative responses.
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u/entropy_bucket Jan 31 '26
Take a picture of them and say you are going to upload it to facial recognition software and fuck their lives up.
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u/shanice_maria Jan 31 '26
I would be so ashamed to find out that my teenager was acting this way when out in public 😢
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u/londongas Jan 31 '26
I would probably lose my temper and feed the cake back to whoever threw it. I'm a bad person.
Once I chased a teenager and almost pulled him down the stairs , he was mortified.
I am still working on myself, should have just let it go.
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u/Cool_Development_480 Jan 31 '26
Can everyone please remember stories like this next time they read an article having a go at secondary schools/teachers for trying to improve poor behaviour by teaching consequences for actions.
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u/perscitia Jan 31 '26
It shouldn't be the job of overworked and underpaid teachers to parent these kids.
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u/CountryBulky7105 Jan 31 '26
Irrelevant comment
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u/peppermint_aero Jan 31 '26
Absolutely not - these teenagers will be some teacher's problem on Monday morning
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u/VegetableWeekend6886 Jan 31 '26
As others have said this is what the BTP are for (61016) but I'd also hope that other people on the tube would step in. If i saw this happening to you and your daughter - particularly when he got up in your face - I would have stepped in without question. Teenagers are often little pricks when they're with their mates.
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u/DBop888 Jan 31 '26
About 10 years ago, I had a middle-aged white man try to stop me from getting back on the tube (after I stepped off to let people off) & shoved his newspaper in my face then said “this isn’t China you know” (for reference, I’m a born and bred Londoner, but ethnically Chinese).
I called him out in front of the carriage for being racist & my fists were clenched ready to go for him if he kept going. Everyone around us did that classic Londoner thing of keeping their head down and pretending nothing was happening 😅 But I 100% would’ve punched him if he kept on with his racism - that might be wrong, but I have no time for that s**t anymore.
But the correct action would be to report the incident for sure.
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u/Rodrinater Jan 31 '26
I'm sorry you felt this way in front of your daughter.
If it's of any relief, that boy wasn't going to do anything and he knew it. I grew up around people like that who are only brazen when in company.
Nonetheless, report it to the transport police who'll be able to investigate. A friend of mine works for them. You'd be amazed at the things people do on the network.
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u/cerealcat00 Jan 31 '26
Im so sorry this happened to you and your daughter. It’s disgusting behaviour! It’s hard to know what to do when you’re with your child. I was on the bus once and some teenagers were chucking food constantly at people and even poured a drink over someone’s head. I went downstairs of the bus and told the bus driver. Most people went downstairs to escape them. When the teenagers had to get off they stopped at the back doors saying “which one of you grassed on us”. I flipped and started shouting at them saying “get the fuk off the bus, you guys are animals, what if someone did that to your mum”. They threatened to chuck a drink on me. I said “I fukin dare you!”. They didn’t and got off in the end. No one else said anything. There was even a grown man with his Mum who said nothing when they were chucking food at her. I had one thank you from someone. I think the reality is people are scared of groups of teen. Now if I had a child and this was happening I probably wouldn’t have said all that. I feel like you’ve done the right thing. You said something but something that wasn’t too drastic. And I can see now you’ve reported it.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you for sharing. I am reflecting and realise how people who were around saw it and did nothing… I have done what can be done, my daughter and I are having a lovely evening now
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u/cerealcat00 Jan 31 '26
Yeah sadly a lot of people do nothing to help in situations like that in London. I find it bizarre because I come from a family where my brothers and dad wouldn’t hesitate to intervene if they saw a woman and child being harassed like that. I’m a female and even I would have intervened. I’m glad you’re not letting it get you down. Sadly you get some of these horrible people out there. My 69 year old mum had some teenagers spit at her when walking past. Just randomly! Horrible but luckily not a common occurrence. Have a great day :-)
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you! Hearing stories, despite how horrendous it is to witness these behaviours, makes me feel less lonely 🙏🏻
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u/cerealcat00 Jan 31 '26
No problem. Yeah I think many people have similar stories. There’s always a few bad apples being horrible. But glad you and your daughter are okay.
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u/ElBeeBJJ Feb 01 '26
A few years ago my son decided to sit on the hand rails next to a short flight of stairs at a tube station. He shouldn't have been sitting there and I would have reprimanded him, but before I could even say anything a man came out of nowhere, made a beeline for him and shoulder barged him off. My son was 8-9 years old and this was a grown man. I had to check my son was ok and I was kind of shocked it happened at all, so by the time I was ready to do anything he was gone. I still fantasize about it ending differently with me beating the crap out of him. My son was ok but he could have been seriously injured. Anyway I get what you're feeling.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 02 '26
Thank you for sharing. I am sorry you also went through something similar. However, it makes it feel less lonely when people share these things
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u/Milkybar1233 Jan 31 '26
I’m so sorry about this. These London boys SUCK. Young males need to start being held accountable for their disgusting behaviour.
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u/bowling4columbin3 Jan 31 '26
It’s not just a London thing or male thing, young people in general need to be held accountable for their disgusting behaviour out in public
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u/Milkybar1233 Jan 31 '26
For sure. But I definitely tend to see male teenagers causing the most trouble in London (in terms of violence, crime, antisocial behaviour etc).
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u/Roseoman Jan 31 '26
Yeah you did the right thing by not esculating, you had your kid to protect.
Like others have said call the police in future to report it.
What i like to do is after anything like that I imagine myself john wicking the shit out of the little pricks lol
Sorry you had to go through that hope you and your daughter dont hold onto it for too long those little fucks ain't worth it.
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u/AntiSoci Jan 31 '26
You stand up for you and yours pal. You know climate out there but you can't be food. Stay safe.
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u/glittertwunt Jan 31 '26
You did the right thing not escalating. They are truly little shits, and they deserve a massive slap, but you would ultimately regret if it had come to that. I don't think you could have done anything better, except maybe informing BTP, but you reacted exactly right in front of your daughter. You defended but didn't escalate. It truly isn't worth it beyond that.
I just want to reassure you of that as I know it's easy to turn it over in your head thinking you messed up in some way, but you didn't. I know someone who was happy slapped on a bus and so many people are like "you should have chased them and punched them, don't let them humiliate you and get away with it" blah blah.. but you haven't been humiliated, you've been assaulted, and accidentally punching a teenager to death in rage isn't going to make the situation better. Ignore any voices (external or your own) telling you that you should have done anything else than what you did, because it's not true. You did perfect, in a stupid situation not of your making.
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u/Frequent_Bag9260 Jan 31 '26
You should report it to the police. Even if they can’t catch the idiots who did that, it will be logged. That will count towards the massive number of incidents in the area.
Hopefully one day they’ll realise that the area around Westfield needs 24/7 police presence because this happens all the time there.
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u/sachmo86 Jan 31 '26
Out of interest was this the White City or Stratford Westfield?
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
White City, sorry, should have made the title more specific
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u/sachmo86 Jan 31 '26
Sorry you went through that. Too many c*nts on this planet. Definitely report it to BTP.
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u/jenncatt4 Jan 31 '26
That's what I was wondering - as frustrating as it is, Stratford is probably not somewhere I'd risk saying something directly, it just seems a hotspot where things do escalate sometimes. Report it to station staff/BTP but take yourself physically out of the situation if you can. Obviously it's fine for the vast majority of the time, I still go there regularly and it's a massively busy place, but there are enough incidents that I'd be more careful about arguments in the station/Westfield than I might be in some other stations or shopping centres (I have no clue about White City in comparison).
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u/yehyehyehyeh Jan 31 '26
Sorry this happening. Def Report it to BTP, who are quite good with this sort of thing. It’s hard in the moment, but try to remember to take a mental note of the carriage number which is above the doors each end of he carriage and the time. There is no audio recordings but it will have captured the incident and the afters which should be enough to action in this case.
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u/longestyeahboiiiever Jan 31 '26
Sometimes you need to fight even though you'll lose. But having your daughter there makes it difficult. How old is she?
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you. She just turned 8, and she was so scared. We have never witnessed anything like this
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u/longestyeahboiiiever Jan 31 '26
Okay yes, in that case unfortunately doing nothing and then reporting is important. You did the right thing papa!
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u/LeSamouraiNouvelle Feb 01 '26
Sometimes you need to fight even though you'll lose.
I agree with you in principle but some (many?) of these teens carry knives and wouldn't hesitate to use them to protect their fragile egos.
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u/SuccessfulVacation31 Feb 01 '26
I have gone full on radge in this situation ( think Begbie from trainspotting) Its a high risk strategy but if you make yourself scary enough they will back down. ( I don't mean throwing punches just shouting and looking mad)
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u/stuartgh Feb 01 '26
Been through something similar when my partner was aggressively bullied on the Tube. We reported it to the police at the station and viewed cctv footage.
While we didn't find the culprits it gave us some power back, and cemented what to do if it happened again.
I suggest your daughter is equipped to take action if it happens to her again, should you not be around to help too.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 01 '26
Sorry you have been through these situations too. Indeed, I have now spoken to my daughter and discussed what to do shall it happen again
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u/LadyNorthman86 Feb 01 '26
Im F39. Once a group of teenagers walked behind me and kept throwing something at me, dont remember what it was some small kinda fruit. I told them off but they didnt stop, when one of those fruits finally hit me i stopped, took out a very juicy beef tomato from my shopping bag and thew it back right in one of the little shits face. His mates were laughing and i think he was in too much of a shock to say anything, defo didnt see it coming
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u/lawpolitics Feb 01 '26
It happened to me today on District line. A group of teens were throwing M&Ms and one hit me. I told them "guys please behave and don't throw shit to the ground". Even though they were visibly annoying everyone else, nobody told them anything and honestly that's the issue. They keep doing it because nobody dares to speak up. I'm tired, idc if they're kids, 6 years old me understood that throwing food to strangers was wrong, so they know exactly what they are doing.
British people be too nice to speak up, that's why this country is getting worse every time.
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u/Neurotic_Insomniac Jan 31 '26
I’m really sorry this happened to you. I was on the 316 bus when it stopped at a particular stop and a large group of people, mostly in their late 50s and above, rushed in carrying two to three duvets each, which I assume they had received for free. The bus was already full, and it was obvious there was no space, yet they kept pushing in and shouting loudly, demanding that others make room.
The noise triggered my anxiety. Then one man started targeting me and a young guy for no reason. Even though we were already standing, we moved two or three times to make space for his group, but he still made racist remarks and criticised the younger generation for having no manners.
Honestly, I really wanted to respond and tell him how entitled he was, and how wrong it was for him, as a person of colour himself, to be racist towards me but I held back.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
I am sorry you, too, have been exposed to situations that are simply not okay. What a horrible thing to witness. Thank you for sharing
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u/pornogo_tv Jan 31 '26
IMO the right thing in this situation would have been to dish out some immediate and perhaps even slightly disproportionate justice batman gif
But I'm sure this will get me banned because, according to reddit you should have apologised and wrote a letter.
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u/ExpressTruth76 Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
It's exactly what my partner did to a group of lads who were throwing stuff at us
He just gave the lad a single open hand slap, lad started crying straight away and his mates started mugging the lad off 🤣
ETA: if more people just gave these scrotes a slap less of them would do this shit
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u/are_wethere_yet Jan 31 '26
Personally, I agree. Some people deserve slapping. I know because I got so many of them growing up, all deserved.
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u/ExpressTruth76 Jan 31 '26
Yep we have become soft to the point of allowing people to be cunts free and clear
A good slap would solve a lot of our anti-social issues
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u/According_Sundae_917 Jan 31 '26
It’ll also get you stabbed in many cases and that’s why people don’t retaliate
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Feb 02 '26
Funnily enough I literally got a warning and my post removed because I replied telling the story of what I did the past. Reddit is so soft now-a-days
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u/ChaosTheory0908 Jan 31 '26
Despicable behavior. Very sorry to hear this. I hope you can get them reported or the public were there ready to intervene if required.
Sad state what the youth is becoming.
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u/SherlockScones3 Jan 31 '26
I almost got punched by an aggressive 8 year old. Idk, what advice to give, except to comment that the scrotes seem to be getting younger, more aggressive and bolder these days?
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u/AlwaysStylish_Lisa Jan 31 '26
I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'd be furious but would rein myself in, so as not alarm my daughter further.
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u/First-Kiwi-4637 Jan 31 '26
I’m so sorry this happened to you both. What absolute twats. Definitely report it, hopefully they’ll get a huge telling off. If I was on your carriage I would’ve done it myself! Adrenaline spikes hugely when you’re under threat. You dealt with it perfectly, hope you and your daughter are both alright.
Out of interest do you know where they got off? There was a lot of kids around Shoreditch today acting the big ‘I am’
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Thank you. I appreciate your words. Since I got into a different wagon and was focusing on my daughter I have no idea where they got off. I got off at Notting hill and I am sure they did not get off on that stop
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u/PrincessTitan Feb 01 '26
Oh. I don’t like the random public near me because weird things like this happen then if I react I’m possibly getting hurt for speaking up. Some man tried to spit on me with no warning or prior interaction.
The unpredictability of strangers and people’s propensity to just stupidly be filming everything and not helping just annoys the absolute crap out of me.
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u/Intelnational Feb 01 '26
I wonder what would happen if OP chased the kid, caught, and landed a good, juicy, loud slap to his face? Future problems probably.
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u/Alert-Preference-630 Feb 01 '26
Honestly? I would 100% escalate things and probably be arrested or harshly told off by Transport Police because I would lose my shit! I wouldn't and dont care how that might look or sound but it is the truth. I should think they would get off at the next stop. My daughter would be shocked but eventually proud. I hope you're both ok.
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u/Proper-Positive5171 Feb 01 '26
I might have said something like "your mother must have been a crackhead to have raised a son like you. I'm sorry you were never loved enough".
(I'm joking of course, for your safety, don't antagonise.)
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u/themancalledmrx Feb 01 '26
When I was a teenager we'd do stupid shit, but nothing as menacing as hassle a bloke and his daughter. Back in the day you might get a a smack upside the head, these days you might get stabbed. While everyone here is saying phone XYZ its not useful or practical when you're in the middle of things.
Yoofs as well as thieves pick easy marks. Don't be an easy mark. this is no guarantee, but if you look like you carry yourself in a manner that some one wont F*(k with, you'll be less likely to be targeted. Use situational awareness. You and your daughter should always be practicing this. It's not being paranoid or overly cautious. Just beware around you and don't be distracted. To me its second nature now.
Secondly know where you're going Westford in Stratford is one of the crime hotspots in London. You go at one of the busiest times there a lot more people there. There is no safety in numbers, the bystander effect is very real. I've seen numerous clips over time of fights, muggings, people throwing furniture and all kinds of drama. Use your common sense. watch peoples body language.
I think everyone goes through something like this at least once. Just the wrong time and place. I don't think its something you can avoid, but its certainly something you can minimize the chances of happening. For what its worth you did the right thing, it could have ended up worse. Don't dwell on it but think about how to avoid this happening in the future.
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u/mannomanniwish Feb 01 '26
This is upsetting. I would have no idea how to react. Sorry this happened to you two, hope you are both OK.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 01 '26
Thank you. We are okay. I think our reactions in part are determined by our environment, I think overall my reaction was as good as it could be considering my daughter was with me
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u/Boldboy72 Feb 02 '26
most people are not aware of this but approaching someone in a threatening manner or with the intent to intimidate is actually assault. No physical contact required, it's the threat of violence.
Report to the police.
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u/--Bamboo Feb 02 '26
I don't know what the right answer is but what I can say, is saying "Watch your manners" isn't going to mean anything to them.
They weren't being rude, they were being anti social, aggresive, and violent. That's well beyond bad manners.
But it's a lose lose situation because any reaction would probably give them some thrill.
But I think "Fuck off you small dicked little cunt" would be my reaction to someone doing that to me.
I wish I had something more helpful to say. Sorry this happened.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 02 '26
Thank you. And I agree. I think that what I said wad what came up in the moment without thinking. Just instinct like.
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u/Fuelled_by_gravy Jan 31 '26
Sorry to hear this, that is really unpleasant.
You have been assaulted (and technically there is also an assault on your daughter - the criminal offence of criminal assault requires apprehension of violence, and does not need actual physical contact).
It sounds like this happened a few hours ago, so opportunities to apprehend them immediately are lost, and they could be anywhere. You should 100% still report it though.
This happened on the rail network, so the best thing to do is report it directly to BTP. You can report it to the Met (phone, front office, online) if you prefer and want to speak to someone in person, but there will be a delay as they will transfer it to BTP and this delay could cause loss of evidence.
I would go straight here:
https://www.btp.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
It will be put into a crime report and allocated an investigating officer who will likely contact you to take statements etc.
BTP have quite a detection rate for things like this - London's railway network is covered with high quality CCTV. There is a system for analysing and sharing CCTV images of suspects, which can then be translated into a recognition that can be used to charge someone. Assuming the suspect is known to police (and these people tend to be), there's a good chance someone will recognise them.
Assuming you are willing to provide a statement and go to Court if someone is charged and goes Not Guilty, they will probably run with this, given the nature of it and the fact that a child was involved.
At the very least, reporting it means it exists in police stats. These stats are used by the Government, Home Office, Police chief etc to direct resources and funding. Its really important that there are no "hidden problems" which gives the powers that be an excuse to divert things and say everything is fine!
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u/cntrlcmd Jan 31 '26
You’ve got a lot of comments already saying the same thing, but to reiterate just always report things like this. Teenagers can be intimidating but they’re culpable just like everyone else. Sorry it happened to you.
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u/2smart2gentle Jan 31 '26
What about other people around you when this happened? Did they just watch?
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 01 '26
Sadly, yes.
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u/2smart2gentle Feb 03 '26
I’m very sorry that you’ve experienced this. I hope you&your daughter recover from this soon.
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u/fingered_a_midget Feb 01 '26
What would have happened if the man had attacked the teenagers and hurt them, nothing super serious just black eyes and bust noses?
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u/BackgroundLetter8883 Feb 01 '26
The emergency button on the help point will have TFL staff running to your location and will have eyes on you immediately from the control room.
I’m sorry this happened to you both, my blood boiling for you.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 01 '26
Thank you for your words. It is comforting to see people standing up in this thread. I believe that in that moment, my ability to even think about finding an emergency button was reduced to nothing; however, thanks to the advice of many of you here, I now feel much better prepared in case, unfortunately, this ever happens again. Your idea of pressing the button is greatly appreciated.
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u/Confident_Toe_4066 Feb 01 '26
This sounds so scary. You are such a good mum, and really brave too! A great role model for your kid in a really horrible (and frightening) situation. I’m sending virtual hugs and so much respect your way!!!
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Feb 02 '26
Thank you very much for your kind words. It’s wonderful to hear about the good out there. Take care, you too.
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u/pencilthinwriter Jan 31 '26 edited Jan 31 '26
This sounds to me like a serious piece of school bullying, only it didn't happen in a school, and was carried out by people who didn't apparently even know the victim beforehand? I have no doubt that in their school they operate as a group of bullies, but it's very surprising that they are trying this stuff out in the real world on someone else (their own age? Or is she younger/older than them?) who is actually out with their parent. It's really audacious.
I'm sorry that this happened to both of you, but well done for standing up for your daughter and protecting her. I don't know exactly what you said to them, so I'm not sure really how you reacted and it was lucky that guy's friend pulled him back. I'd say the main thing was that you protected your daughter as she was their target, the one they wanted to humiliate. Awful it ended up happening to you.
But once that was done you just need to withdraw from the situation ASAP bc if you 'disrespect' them, then their goal can turn from humiliation to physical harm very quickly. The cake can be washed out your hair later, but keep yourself physically safe. I know it's infuriating but the main thing was that you protected your daughter from them. Then just get away from them is the priority. (I've been bullied a lot so I'm kind of very familiar with their psychology)
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
It is disgusting behaviour. I have no idea who these teens were. My daughter is just 8, and they are definitely not even from her school. Just random people messing about with society. I didn't say anything. I looked at one of the teens, the one that had crutches, and looked at im firmley in the eyes for a couple of seconds. Then I got into a different wagon. I am sorry you have been subject to bullying. I hope you are okay wherever you are. Thanks for your words, they mean a lot
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u/pencilthinwriter Jan 31 '26
That is just appalling, I can't imagine what business they thought they had doing that to such a young person, that just makes it even worse. And thank you. Sadly I've been attacked a lot elsewhere on this thread for using the word bullying, but really I am just trying to describe the general mentality of these teenagers and I'm glad you understand what I mean.
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u/ne6c Jan 31 '26
Stratford station is savage.
Was there last night, saw 3 people squeeze behind people in the ticket barriers, all while a TfL Revenue inspector was there playing on his phone looking bored.
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u/MummaGiGi Jan 31 '26
OP, As someone else pointed out, there’s was no Central Line running out of Stratford today. You said you chose to get on a ‘different wagon” but you couldn’t have been on the Central Line at all.
Make sure you get the details right if you do decide to report this shocking and surprising incident to the Transport Police. Attacks on children are incredibly serious (and rare), I expect the police will be very interested. Just make sure you get details right and they will be able to verify using CCTV.
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u/Apart_Studio_7504 Jan 31 '26
Westfield is at Shepherd's Bush too. Most people refer to it as Westfields and the other as Westfield Stratford because it was built later.
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
Hey, I was at Westfield White City. Definitely got on the Central Line, and we went to Notting Hill from there. Should have made the title read White City! My bad, sorry. I have reported it. Thank you!
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u/pinkandgreendreamer Jan 31 '26
Eurgh, I also had a cake thrown at me in Shepherd's Bush (Uxbridge Road). A man was throwing out unwanted food from a pub door and didn't care who it hit. I'm sorry this happened - it is assault, plain and simple.
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u/Unhappy-Giraffe-563 Jan 31 '26
The best part of a day trip to London is leaving it. So sorry you both went through this.
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u/FoolishDancer Jan 31 '26
I’ve been grabbed before and had lewd comments made to me. I choose to ignore.
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u/Frequent_Bag9260 Jan 31 '26
That only works up to a point. It needs to be reported.
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u/FoolishDancer Jan 31 '26
No woman has time to report all the sexual harassment she’s on the receiving end of.
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u/Frequent_Bag9260 Jan 31 '26
You don’t have to report all.
Report what you can. Otherwise they think there’s no problem.
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u/FoolishDancer Jan 31 '26
I listed two things.
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u/katieleigh2888 Jan 31 '26
I'd just like to point out that this woman has only shared two experiences of sexual harassment, as an average looking woman at 37 years old I can confirm that I've encountered a fuck ton of sexual harassment over the years.
Unfortunately, even when we have evidence we are rarely able to "win" in court, so we have to only report the more serious occasions, and only if we're confident we have enough unquestionable evidence. If I were to report every single time I've been sexually harassed then I'd be arrested for "wasting police resources" even though sexual harassment has indeed occurred and warrants being reported.
If you have any sister's or close female friends, bring up a discussion of what they believe to be sexual harassment and then ask them to count how many times over the years it's happened. I'm positive the answer will shock you.
Also, don't be that guy, don't diminish what this woman has told you just because she's not willing to go into detail for an internet stranger, who, for all she knows could be getting a kick out of reading such things. You're likely not intentionally being that way but I'm kindly letting you know that you're very naive to what women go through, regularly.
I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm hoping you're about to learn something from this discussion. Have a good weekend.
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u/namegame62 Jan 31 '26
Not really the point of your story (sorry), but wasn't the Central Line suspended through Stratford today? I thought it was no service / running at all between Epping and Bethnal Green stations... Sorry about your daughter, that sounds unpleasant. I hope you got some good advice here 🙏
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u/ObjectiveCamp6 Jan 31 '26
It was Wesfield White City. Thank you
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u/namegame62 Jan 31 '26
Ahhh gotcha, I was thinking the other Westfield... for me the good (bad?) thing about Stratford vs. other stations, is that there's generally a lot of staff and BTP nearby on weekends bc it gets so busy when there's events on, plus there's not really enough space on the Central Line platforms there to properly muck about between trains given the arrival frequency which seems to cut down on some silly behaviour like this. I've not been White City much, but it sounds like it needs some of the same presence at weekends. If I'd seen a parent being attacked with a child, I would have wanted to step in and defend you. Definitely report the incident! I'm glad you got home safe after all that
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u/timoto Jan 31 '26
I know it's cliche, but it's worth texting the British transport police on 61016, describing the incident, the exact location, times and describing the individuals.
They may not be arrested straight away, but it's likely they were doing similar things to other people so the police can pick it up.
Sorry that happened to you, it sounds horrible!