A WOMAN has been left requiring dental and facial surgery after being struck by a brick which was thrown through the window of a moving bus.
Detectives are investigating the incident which happened in Droylsden.
The passenger was hit in the face on Monday, August 19, as the bus was travelling on Ashton Road, near to St Mary’s Church, at around 10.20pm.
Greater Manchester Police believe it could be linked to previous incidents where missiles have been thrown at passing Metrolink trams and buses in that area.
The force is appealing to local residents for any information which could help enquiries.
“We are particularly keen to hear from members of the local community living near to St Mary’s Church,” explained PC Carl Kelly, from GMP’s Transport Unit.
“We believe that those who are engaging in this behaviour are people who have local knowledge of the area, and/or may live locally.
“I am hopeful the victim will recover from her injuries but we are lucky we are not dealing with this as a fatal incident or a person suffering life-changing injuries. The brick thrown was a large brick as one can see from the photograph released as part of our appeal.
“We are continuing enquiries in the area and I ask residents and the wider community to be vigilant. I am also appealing to parents, guardians and teachers for information and to stress the dangers of such behaviours of throwing items at passing vehicles.”
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has described it as ‘a sickening incident’ and vowed to help find those responsible for ‘this thoughtless behaviour’.
“All customers and staff who travel or work on public transport are entitled to be safe and feel safe when travelling,” said Kate Green, TfGM’s TravelSafe Partnership Manager.
“Their safety is of paramount importance to the TravelSafe Partnership, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to all crime and anti-social behaviour on our networks.
“Throwing any kind of object at public transport is extremely dangerous and not only puts passengers and the driver of the vehicle at risk, but it can also have potentially life-changing consequences for the individuals behind this thoughtless behaviour.
“The TravelSafe Partnership will be making every effort to help the police track down those responsible and bring them to justice, and we urge anyone with information to come forward.”
Anyone who has information is urged to contact GMP by calling 101 or reporting it via the website at https://www.gmp.police.uk/ quoting log number 3555 of 19/08/2024.
Alternatively, it can be passed on through the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.