A woman has been severely injured after a brick was thrown through a bus window by a suspect who may be targeting commuters at random.
The victim, who has not been named, was sitting on a bus driving down Ashton Road in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, when the window was shattered by a large brick which struck her face on the evening of August 19.
Her injuries were so bad she needed both facial and dental surgery.
Nearly a month later, the suspect has not been caught, though is suspected to have ‘local knowledge’ of the area around St Mary’s Church.
There have been a number of previous incidents involving missiles being thrown at buses and Metrolink trams in the area.
Detectives are looking into the possibility that all the incidents are linked, and are urging people with information to come forward.
PC Carl Kelly of Greater Manchester Police said: ‘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.
‘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.’
Kate Green, Transport for Greater Manchester’s TravelSafe Partnership Manager, added: ‘This was a sickening incident which could have easily left the victim with life-changing injuries or worse. All customers and staff who travel or work on public transport are entitled to be safe and feel safe when travelling.
‘Their safety is of paramount importance to the TravelSafe Partnership, and we take a zero-tolerance approach to all crime and antisocial 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.’
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