Family ‘at centre of Surrey school race attack’ branded ‘neighbours from hell’

The family said to be at the center of a school run attack in Surrey were branded ‘neighbors from hell’ today by local residents who said the family went ‘in hiding’ after being arrested on charges including attempted serious bodily harm.

Stanwell locals say they have been affected by a campaign of bullying and anti-social behavior by the family, comprising a mother in her 30s and three daughters, saying local people are “terrified of them”.

Horrific footage surfaced last week showing a 15-year-old black schoolgirl attacked by a gang of boys beating, kicking and dragging her by the hair near Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey.

The attack was so ferocious that nine of the girl’s braids were torn from her scalp during the attack, as adults could be heard goading the attackers.

Four people have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated attempted grievous bodily harm, including a 39-year-old woman, a 16-year-old girl and two 11-year-old girls.

The woman and a 43-year-old man were also arrested on suspicion of child neglect and intentionally abetting and aiding the commission of an indictable offence, meaning the case can only be heard by a crown court.

The 16-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of malicious communications. All have been released on bail.

The two youngest girls in the Stanwell family are said to have carried out the attack with another young man while being egged on by their mother.

The family is understood to have gone into hiding after shocking footage of the attack was posted online.

The five suspects were banned from Surrey, while another teenager, aged 15, was urged by police to turn herself in.

On Friday, Surrey Police Chief Inspector Dallas McDermott described the incident as “disturbing” and said he was “disappointed” with the public’s reaction to the video.

In the footage, the attack went on for several minutes with members of the public watching before someone intervened.

In the video, a woman was filmed training the young mob to ‘kick her in the face’, ‘catch’ her and ‘take her down’. The victim’s family claims that she was attacked for defending a friend who, according to her, was being intimidated by the attackers.

Her cousin claims the girl, who has not been named, received “racial” voice notes before the attack warning that they planned to “drag her hair” and “leave her on the side of the road”.

comes as a cambio.org The petition calling for the dismissal of the school principal is rapidly reaching 100,000 signatures, amid growing anger from black rights groups and community leaders.

Angry protesters who held a demonstration outside Thomas Knyvett College in Ashford, Surrey, on Wednesday later marched on the family’s address less than two miles away in Stanwell.

Eyewitnesses said an angry protester tried to break down the property’s front gate during heated scenes.

One neighbor told MailOnline: ‘They really are the neighbors from hell. There are people here who just want to move because they’ve had enough. They can’t take it anymore.

People are terrified of them. We just hope they never come back.

Locals said the family had not returned to the modern three-bedroom property since the incident.

Three rugs were left on the front wall, while children’s socks and toys lay strewn outside the front door along with an old washing machine and a storage bin full of shoes.

An empty black suitcase has been left on the roof of a flat porch while a white vehicle is parked in the driveway.

A local woman, whose daughter is a student at the school, said: ‘People are scared and intimidated by them. There have been many clashes and the police have been called.

It’s been one thing after another and people don’t feel safe. Nobody wants to talk about them because we have to think about our children.

‘They come from a big family and they are everywhere around here. They have eyes everywhere. The whole situation is horrible. Everything is wrong.

A man who lives nearby said: ‘The police have had to get involved. Once they were on the receiving end when all their vehicles were vandalized in the middle of the night. They never found out who did it.

After that, the family installed CCTV cameras outside the house.

Another neighbor said: ‘There is a mother and three daughters who live there. People have had nothing but problems with them.

“Usually they have all the windows open and every time you walk past the house you hear her yelling at the children.

‘Usually there are a lot more cars outside. There’s a dark-colored minivan parked outside, blocking the sidewalk.

‘There was a big protest here and everyone was standing on the road outside their house while the police were here.

‘This is a quiet dead end and it seems that they bring nothing but trouble.’

Chief Inspector McDermott, who works with the neighborhood police in North Surrey, said several officers were trying to apprehend the sixth suspect, a 15-year-old girl.

Speaking about her initial reaction to the video, she said: “Immediately when I was watching it, I was really shocked to see the level of violence that was used and the number of criminals who also attacked this girl, really shocking to see.”

‘I’ve said that (I’ve had) 23 years in the police, and as a police officer to see that is unsettling, not just as a parent.

“So I can understand how shocked, how angry, not just the local community, but the community at large, they are to see such a vicious attack.”

McDermott said that while there is still evidence to be gathered, meaning the suspects have been released on bail, they are subject to some “strict bail conditions.”

He said: ‘There is a certain threshold we have to reach to get evidence and get charges.

‘Unfortunately we hadn’t gotten there yet. There are some key pieces of evidence that we need to submit to CPS, so we’re doing it as quickly as possible.

“We cannot simply rely on video as evidence in this case.

“We had to release them on bail, but they have been given strict bail conditions and one of those conditions is that they cannot enter Surrey.”

On Thursday, MPs demanded an investigation amid an online backlash over the staff’s response during the incident.

Asked if police are conducting their own investigations at the school, Chief Inspector McDermott said: “That depends on the education authority.” They have their own processes and their own policies and I know they are doing it.

‘What I can say is that the school and the school’s teachers have a duty of care under safeguard. But that is for the school to deal with and they are conducting their own investigation in relation to that.

“What I can say from watching the video, I think it’s fair to say that I was disappointed with the reaction from the public in the immediate area.”

He added: ‘What I’m saying, from what I’ve seen on the video, I think there are a number of people in the area and it was disappointing to see the reaction of the people who saw that video. People stayed filming, for example. It’s just disappointing.

McDermott said any racially motivated attacks in the county receive a “high level of response.”

He said: ‘In this case, we are doing it vigorously.

‘We want to bring these criminals to justice. We’re trying to get that vital evidence we need to see the charges, and I can say that I think we’re not very far off.

“So we are confident as a police force and as a local police team that we will bring justice for the victims.”

Addressing the girl who has yet to turn herself in, Mr. McDermott said: “There is still one pending that we need to arrest.” She is a 15 year old girl.

“She knows she’s wanted, family members will obviously know she’s wanted, so my plea to her and her family members is to turn themselves in at the nearest police station.”

That doesn’t stop us from making active investigations to locate her.

‘We have several officers… making those attempts to stop her.’

A protest involving about 120 people took place outside the school on Wednesday, which McDermott described as “very peaceful.”

He said: ‘It was all very peaceful, well organized and we had no problems there.

“My approach is that people have the right to protest, they have the right to express their frustrations and I can accept and understand why people are angry when you see a video like that.”

McDermott said officers will continue to interact with the school and the local area in the coming days.