Stepmother of teenager in group who ‘covered a disabled woman in flour and eggs’ is not a tearaway

The gang accused of pelting a disabled woman with eggs and flour before taking a sick celebratory selfie have asked the police for protection as their terrified victim said she fears being attacked again. 

The image of the young men smiling and pointing at the vulnerable victim as she cowered on a park bench in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk has caused widespread revulsion. 

Four boys – two aged 17 and two aged 15 – have been arrested and bailed following Friday’s incident in a park in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and the terrified victim spoke out for the first time today: ‘I’ve got to be careful’. 

The boys cannot be identified because of their ages but five names – the four suspects and the boy who took the photo – have been widely shared online.

One of them is celebrating his 16th birthday and his mother said the scandal risks wrecking his party.

She told MailOnline: ‘We can’t say anything about what went on over the weekend but my son’s name has been leaked over the internet and we’ve had threats.

‘I’ve reported the abuse to police and we are now under their protection. If anyone comes to our home to cause problems, we have a number we can call which will get the police here straight away.

‘This isn’t what we need. It’s my son’s 16th birthday and we’ve got family here for his party.’ 

A disturbing photo on social media appears to show the teenagers posing behind a cowering woman who had been covered in flour and eggs as she sat on a park bench

The bench in Bury St Edmunds where the vulnerable woman was attacked remains covered in flour today

The father of one of the other boys has revealed he marched him to the local police station to confess what he had done before grounding him indefinitely.

Flour attack victim says people have been ‘rallying around me’ – but ‘has to be careful’

The ‘vulnerable woman’ who was the victim of a shocking attack by teenagers as she sat on a park bench today broke her silence.

The 49-year-old woman – who asked not to be named – was left distressed after having flour and eggs poured over her by the youths.

She was further humiliated when four teenagers mocked her by posing for a photo as she cowered in front of them covered head to toe in flour.

The shocking image has been widely distributed on social media including Facebook.

Today the woman, who lives close to the scene of the attack in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, condemned the teenagers.

However she said she was worried about heightening tensions on the 1960s Howard estate where she lives and where many tenants live in fear of local teenagers.

Standing outside her terraced house, she said: ‘I don’t consider it acceptable but I don’t particularly want to escalate the current tension in the area.

‘I’ve got to be careful with how I deal with things obviously.’

She added: ‘People have rallied round me.’

The woman, who has short dark hair, said she was giving a statement to police this afternoon.

She added: ‘I’ve written out what I want to say.

‘I’ll know more when I’ve given a statement to them.’

He said the 16-year-old was walking home from the centre of Bury St Edmunds and had cut through the park when he saw two of his friends.

They apparently gestured for him to join them in the photo behind the woman who was covered in eggs and flour.

He left shortly afterwards but confessed to his parents when the image began circulating on social media hours later.

His father said: ‘He told me what he had done and I told him that it was an idiotic thing to do.

‘I marched him straight down to the local police station and made him tell the officers what had happened.

‘He didn’t throw any of the flour or eggs on that woman, he just joined the others in posing for the photograph.

‘He wasn’t arrested but he did give a statement.

‘There’s no way he’s going out for the next few weeks unless I’m with him – both to keep an eye on him and to make sure he is safe from people who want to take revenge.

‘There’s been death threats made against him online and we’ve told the police about it.

‘He’s at home at the moment and that’s where he’s staying.’

The stepmother of one of the 17-year-olds arrested told MailOnline today: ‘He’s not a tearaway – he’s just been a stupid boy’.

She said: ‘He got caught up in it all, it was a stupid thing to do.

‘He’s never been in any major bother before but this is serious. His dad won’t say anything about it because the police have asked him not to but he’s upset.

‘I don’t know why the lad got involved. As far as I know he just took the photo. I don’t know anything about him throwing the eggs and flour.

‘But he should have had nothing to do with it in the first place. He’s not a tearaway, though, he’s just been a stupid boy.’ 

The woman, who also is battling mental health problems, said she will be meeting with police later. 

She said: ‘I don’t consider it acceptable but I don’t particularly want to escalate the current tension in the area. I’ve got to be careful with how I deal with things obviously’.    

Social media star Robin Armstrong told his 750,000 followers he wanted to 'lead the way' in finding the youths 

Social media star Robin Armstrong told his 750,000 followers he wanted to ‘lead the way’ in finding the youths 

Mr Armstrong said: 'You little f***ing nothings have been over to an old woman with disabilities, poured water all over her head and then poured flour all over and stopped for a photograph'

He added: 'Posing for a photograph? The only photograph you are going to be posing for are the ones the police are going to have'

Mr Armstrong said: ‘You little f***ing nothings have been over to an old woman with disabilities, poured water all over her head and then poured flour all over and stopped for a photograph’ 

Suffolk police said she was left severely distressed but was not physically harmed. 

People living in the area claim the youths in the photo are part of a group who have been terrorising an estate in the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds for weeks.  

One witness said she had a ‘breakdown’ at the park and shouted at the youths, and they retaliated by throwing eggs and flour at her.  

Suffolk Police Inspector Anthony Bridgland said: ‘This type of behaviour is totally unacceptable and we are treating the matter seriously.

‘We know this incident may have caused concern and anger both in the local community and online, but we would like to reassure everyone that we are tackling the matter robustly and supporting the victim.’

Andrew Willsher, 46, who lives and works in the area, claimed: ‘Groups of kids congregate in packs and hang around the parks and the shops.

‘The truth is that there is nothing for these kids to do out here so they cause trouble.

‘There are some boys who often gather in the park behind and people avoid them at all costs because you know it will lead to trouble.’

One elderly resident, who did not want to be named, said she avoided the park because the young people who met there to take drugs were intimidating. She added: ‘I avoid that at certain times because they gather there at 5pm and do drugs and drink alcohol.

‘I have very bad eyes and I would not know if they suddenly jumped out. I am not sure if my guide dog would protect me either. The real reason I carry this cane is for protection, in case one of them does something.’

One woman, whose house is close to the bench in the Howard estate, said: ‘All I know is that they are local and I have seen them out on the field many times and I have seen them many times sitting on the benches.

‘I was absolutely disgusted to hear about what they did to that poor lady. I came out shortly after it happened and I saw two police officers standing there and all the white over the bench and floor and wondered what on earth was going on.

‘My daughter phoned me up to ask if I was okay and if I had seen what was happening, and I was horrified when she told me.

‘How would they feel if it was their mother, grandmother or sister? It is disgraceful, it really is.

‘It makes you wonder what the world is coming to and worry how your grandchildren are going to grow up and what they are going to face. These boys need to be named and shamed. They thought it was quite brave to put a selfie up online and I hope they get what is coming to them.’

Katherine Brame, a friend of the victim, said she had been to check on her and she was ‘safe’.

She said people in the area had offered to help and send gifts, but the victim was struggling to cope. Miss Brame said on Facebook: ‘I have to speak out. Today’s incident has made me so sad and devastated. The lady in question needs her privacy and suffers with an unseen illness.

‘She cannot cope with people popping in, or gifts. It’s complicated but if you want to help, how about donating to a mental health charity as people with these unseen illnesses go under the radar all the time and they are totally under-funded. Then maybe she will get the real help she needs from qualified people. You’re all very kind.’

The social media posts prompted one man, who shares the same name as one of the alleged attackers, to call for people to stop threatening him. 

He said on Facebook: ‘There’s a photo doing the rounds at moment of a group of young boys. They’ve been named and shamed and one of them happens to also be called [deleted]. I would just like to clarify I’m not that [deleted]. I’m much older than the boys in the photo and now that’s cleared up, I would appreciate it if people stopped messaging me and threatening me about this.’

The father of one of the boys named slammed the door when approached on Sunday.                

Social media star Robin Armstrong told his 750,000 followers he wanted to ‘lead the way’ in finding the youths.

In a lengthy video, he said: ‘You little f***ing nothings have been over to an old woman with disabilities, poured water all over her head and then poured flour all over and stopped for a photograph.

‘That photographs says a thousand things – I don’t even have to say any words.

At least one man said he had been threatened after being mistakenly identified as one of the arrested teenagers. Pictured: Screenshots of a conversation discussing the photo

At least one man said he had been threatened after being mistakenly identified as one of the arrested teenagers. Pictured: Screenshots of a conversation discussing the photo

Pictured: Screenshots of a conversation discussing the photo 

Pictured: Screenshots of a conversation discussing the photo 

‘You scummy little w******. You deserve to have your heads ripped off your shoulders.

‘I’ve got your names now so I’m going to put your names in the comments and your profiles in the comments.

‘You’re going to be chased out of your city – hunted down.’

Mr Armstrong said: ‘Your mums and dads lives are f****** wrecked because of you.

‘Posing for a photograph? The only photograph you are going to be posing for are the ones the police are going to have.

‘Or the ones on the front of your tombstone because you deserve to be stoved in.’ 

Another man said on Twitter: ‘These five sick f***** live in Bury St Edmunds and think it’s funny to pour water over a old disabled woman’s head then cover her in flour let’s make these f*****s Twitter stars #scum [sic]’. 

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