Exeter stylist's 'mum look' halts fight
A BRAVE Exeter hairdresser who intervened to stop a fight between two groups of men on a busy train has been presented with a bravery award.
Naomi Spencer, 45, said she "used her mum look" to stop the ruckus. Now she is being presented with an award by British Transport Police Chief Constable Andrew Trotter.
Single mum Ms Spencer, a hairdresser at Headstart in The Guildhall, was commended for putting herself at considerable risk after stepping in to prevent the two groups from fighting on a busy commuter service to Barnstaple.
The two groups had clashed earlier in the evening in a pub in Exeter. Police became involved and split the groups up, but members of both factions later caught the same train and tensions flared after it left Exeter St David's station.
Business Cards From Only £10.95 Delivered www.myprint-247.co.uk
View detailsOur heavyweight cards have FREE UV silk coating, FREE next day delivery & VAT included. Choose from 1000's of pre-designed templates or upload your own artwork. Orders dispatched within 24hrs.
Terms: Visit our site for more products: Business Cards, Compliment Slips, Letterheads, Leaflets, Postcards, Posters & much more. All items are free next day delivery. www.myprint-247.co.uk
Contact: 01858 468192
Valid until: Sunday, May 26 2013
Ms Spencer, who was returning home to Crediton, said she stepped in when one man entered the carriage she was in and began provoking six members of the rival group.
She said: "The six lads started having a go back at this other one lad who was already covered in blood from the earlier fight. Okay, he'd had a go at them, but I didn't really care about what had gone on beforehand. I just thought six against one – that's not on.
"There was a lot of swearing and bad language. I'm a single mum and I thought I can't let this happen on a busy train. A lot of the passengers seemed worried about what might happen.
"It was out of order so I told them to pack it in and I gave them clear instructions that I wanted them to stay apart. I just wanted everyone on the train to be safe. I think if I would have ignored things, the situation would have got far worse.
"I'm a short, dumpy woman – but I just gave them a 'mum' look and told them to stop messing around.
"I just wanted to get home – as did everyone else on the train. It was a Friday evening, I was tired and I just wanted it to stop."
Due to the incident, the train driver was given permission to reverse the train back into St David's station so that it could be met by police officers who dealt with the youths involved.
Ms Spencer added: "I didn't really think about what I was doing at the time. I just thought, I'm a mum and I have a son – if he was in this position, I'd hope that someone would do the same as me and stop the situation from escalating."
BTP Chief Constable Trotter said: "I was very pleased to be able to present Naomi with such a prestigious award for her incredibly brave actions."
Comments