15 year old army cadet attacked with a makeshift blow torch.

Danthus · 2 Nov 2014 at 13:31

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...rch-attack-while-selling-poppies-9833925.html

A 15-year-old Army Cadet was attacked and burned by a man wielding a makeshift blowtorch on Saturday.

The boy was standing at a bus stop in Manchester city centre on Saturday evening when he was attacked. He was wearing his camouflaged uniform and had spent the day selling poppies for Remembrance Sunday.

A man carrying and aerosol can and a lighter approached the cadet at the bus stop, spraying him with lit fumes and causing minor burns to his face while singing hair on his face and his right forearm, Greater Manchester Police said.

Police said the man, who was described as black or Asian and 5ft 8 inches tall wearing a dark hooded top, appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was staggering. He walked off from the bus stop by the Manchester Gallery without saying a word.

Police said it was “pure luck” that the cadet did not sustain more serious injuries, and that he and his family are in a state of “total shock”.

Detective Inspector Liam Boden said: “This is an absolutely appalling attack on a young man who was raising money to help remember all those who gave their lives fighting bravely for their country.

He was selling poppies. What an utterly shameful attack.

OhEsEcks · 2 Nov 2014 at 13:35

Woman was also sexually assaulted by a gang of teens in scream masks in Manchester the other night too. Manchester is the only place I've ever been mugged. My experience of Manchester for the most part is that it's a toilet. I feel safer walking the streets of Belfast at night than I do Manchester or Liverpool.

Ragnahex · 2 Nov 2014 at 13:37

lets face it there will always be *****

Amp34 · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:03

makeshift blowtorch

aerosol can and a lighter

Hmmm... I guess you can stretch the definition a long way then...

I remember when we used to do that to our arms and legs for fun.

As said, there will always be idiots.

daver · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:10

Seems like a random crackhead/alcoholic to be honest. The kid wasn't selling poppies at the time of the attack he was waiting for a bus, not that that changes how **** an incident it was but all the stories seem to be running with the 'selling poppies' line when its probably unconnected to the attack.

NoNameNoNumber · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:24

Does the fact that the boy was a cadet and the attacker was black/Asian bare any relevance? Or would it not make national news if it was an asbo teen and a white attacker?

Vulcan · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:26

NoNameNoNumber said:
Does the fact that the boy was a cadet and the attacker was black/Asian bare any relevance? Or would it not make national news if it was an asbo teen and a white attacker?

This pretty much.

Looks like they are going for the "Muslim attacks the military" approach.

chief barker · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:28

Here we go again.

Uncle Petey · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:31

It's probably just a case of they mentioned his race because it was what it was.

That's not to say that they may or may not be trying to loosely associate it with the Lee Rigby thing.

shadow_boxer · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:32

NoNameNoNumber said:
Does the fact that the boy was a cadet and the attacker was black/Asian bare any relevance? Or would it not make national news if it was an asbo teen and a white attacker?

Agreed.

Dis86 · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:55

NoNameNoNumber said:
Does the fact that the boy was a cadet and the attacker was black/Asian bare any relevance? Or would it not make national news if it was an asbo teen and a white attacker?

It could have relevance however quite frankly we don't know yet.

Amnesia · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:56

hopefully they will catch whoever did it and throw the book at him....what a ****** thing to do.

dacads · 2 Nov 2014 at 14:59

The racism continues, if they're going to include race then do it properly not only when brown/black people are involved. Or the other solution is to not include race at all.

Tefal · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:03

NoNameNoNumber said:
Does the fact that the boy was a cadet and the attacker was black/Asian bare any relevance? Or would it not make national news if it was an asbo teen and a white attacker?

errr perhaps to help identify the man so he can be reported./arrested? :confused:

i notice your offended by the physical description of the attacker but not by the description of his clothes?

Dis86 · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:03

dacads said:
The racism continues, if they're going to include race then do it properly not only when brown/black people are involved. Or the other solution is to not include race at all.

How's it racism? At this point they don't know who the attacker is so offering a description is a pretty useful thing to do. The fact that they are black or asian immediately narrows down the list of suspects by about 90%.
It's common sense.

Craig321 · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:05

dacads said:
The racism continues, if they're going to include race then do it properly not only when brown/black people are involved. Or the other solution is to not include race at all.

I've seen plenty of other reports that mention the attacker being white/caucasian etc. It's fact (if coming from a reputable source of course), not racism.

Akagi · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:05

They probably would have said that he was white if he were white... I have read plenty of news stories which say something like "the perpetrator was a white male of about 6ft" so I don't think it is necessarily a case of deliberate racism.

Not that it would surprise me.

Tefal · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:05

dacads said:
The racism continues, if they're going to include race then do it properly not only when brown/black people are involved. Or the other solution is to not include race at all.

racism?

It's an appeal for information, surely a physical description of the attacker is necessary???

Is it sexist they described him as a male?

Next up "crime watch called racist for using black man to portray black criminal!!!!!!!"

Tefal · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:06

posts like that make you realize there probbaly a lot of truth to the staff who said they were afford to go after Asian men for fear of being called racist.

Danthus · 2 Nov 2014 at 15:07

dacads said:
The racism continues, if they're going to include race then do it properly not only when brown/black people are involved. Or the other solution is to not include race at all.

What racism?