I was literally just reading that story. However, the interesting part is that it gets told a bit differently on ninemsn
[media]A passenger on board the Gold Coast where two women viciously attacked an Aboriginal man has defended the driver and fellow passengers for failing to intervene.
Emma Little told ninemsn as she boarded the bus with her two-year-old son one of the women "accidentally" stepped back onto her pram but "never intentionally meant to harm my baby".
Ms Little said she then moved to sit towards the back of the bus inadvertently blocking the aisle.
"That was why nobody else on the bus could get up to help the man," Ms little said. "If they tried to get up then they would have to have jumped over me and my pram."
Ms Little said the woman began attacking the vision impaired 77-year-old after he told them to "go back to where you came from".
"That's when they mouthed off back at him and he mouthed off back and one of the girls told him "You're lucky you're a man" and he goes "Don't let that stop you".
A 13-year-old girl filmed the disturbing encounter as the women kicked, punched and spat on the male passenger.
The mobile phone vision, filmed by a girl only known as Rebecca, shows them hurling abuse at him before assaulting a fellow passenger.
The teenager filming can be heard frantically pleading with someone on the bus to stop the women as the man tries to retaliate.
Ms Little also defended the bus driver for not stepping in to break up the feud.
"The girls also attacked the driver. Then they were standing right next to him while they were arguing with the Aboriginal man, Paul, so the driver couldn't get out of his seat," she said.
Ms Little said the video fails to show the moment the man continued to "hit" the two women even as they were getting off the bus.
"That was when the other passenger jumped up and just pushed them off," she said.
Queensland Police have confirmed that they have located Paul, who is well known in the area, and say he sustained "bruising to his arms" in the attack.
He was recently pictured being escorted out of Coolangatta police station after making an official complaint.
Police have told Nine News they will pursue assault charges if the victim comes forward.
Source: Nine News
Author: Natasha Lee, Emily Crane, Approving editor: Simon Black [/media]
Can't believe they are blaming the bus driver for not intervening. Sorry, but it's not a bus driver's job to be a bouncer. OH&S and all that.
He/she should pull over when it's safe to do so, and call the police if a crime has been committed (like anyone else on the bus could), but it's not their responsibility to restrain people.
