I'll talk about the night in the morning, but I will talk about the events coming home now.
We all boarded the train home and noticed three lads getting on a few doors down. After the train began moving, they came down to us 8. They all sat next to Tony's girlfriend (Tony is Laura's best friend), Lucy and Tony told her to come sit by him so she did. Then, one of them sat next to another of the girls and she moved away from him. He return to the other two.
For some reason, one of them thought because I was smiling that it was funny. I dont' know why. I was just happy to be out with people who I liked. Then, one of them came over and stood right in front of me. I looked up at him, but didn't say nothing. "What are you looking?" he asked me, but I didn't say nothing. He walked away. "That lad's eyeing you there", one of his friends said. The lad came over once more and asked me 'what are you looking at?' again. Again, I said nothing. He put his face in mine and asked me again but still I said nothing.
Then he headbutted me.
For a split second, I had no idea what had just happened and then I felt the pain in my forehead grow very quickly. I sat there, silent, trying to contain my pain, my shock, my emotions.
The people who I was with asked me if I was ok to which I replied yes, though my head was now hurting, a lot. After another minute, I decided that I couldn't let this go on and I knocked on the guard's door. At this point I was extremely scared that he may hit me again.
The guard opened the door. "Can you move these lads somewhere else please, they're.." he interrupted me. He must of heard all of the shouting going on already. "So are you lads gonna get off a the next station?" he said to them. "No!", one of them replied "Why should we! We've paid for our fucking tickets!"...this argument continued for a few minutes, while my attacker was now walking to the other end of the train. The argument ensued further and my friends joined in.
"One of them has also hit me", I said to the guard. He looked at my forehead. "Well, if you bring charges against him that's up to you". I nodded and he closed the door.
The arguments ensued between my friends and the two remained lads who were still sitting by us. "Has he done that?", Lucy asked me, looking at my forehead. Since I had no idea what he had exactly done, I didn't know how bad it looked. "Is that his blood or yours?" she asked me. She took a wet finger and rubbed my forehead slightly, taking blood with her. "That's your blood", she said, slightly shocked. The others then asked me if I was ok, now noticing that my head was bleeding slightly, along with a cut nose and bent glasses. I was trying my best to remain calm and collected, while inside, all I wanted to do was burst into tears.
The train pulled into Moorfields, which is the first stop the train stops at. The doors opened. The arguments were still continuing.
Then, a man came over and sat opposite me and my friends. He told the lad to shut up and be quiet, but he didn't listen. The man asked me if I was ok and I calmy replied yes. He asked me if I was ok a few times. He told me that he would of come over sooner but he didn't realise that the lad had actually hit me.
I sat there, wanting to cry inside, trying to look calm outside. Most of the girls were now crying. The train was still in Moorfields at this point, after at least ten minutes. The two remaining lads were getting agitated now and one of them knocked on the guards door. He came out once again and the lad asked him why they weren't moving, to which the guard replied that I'd asked for the police.
Another five minutes past and another man came up and began shouting at one of the lads. The lad shouted back at him. At one point, the man raised a fist to him and was about to punch him and this man was quite well built. Then, the man started shouting at the guard, shouting at him about why the train wasn't moving and that he wanted to get home. the guard told him that he wanted to get home too but I'd asked for the police.
The first man shouted at the second and told him to calm down after a few minutes he did and went back to his seat.
Soon after, the police arrived and came on board. The first man talked to them, detailing what had happened. One of the police officers looked over at me. I tried to manage a slight smile. I could feel myself shaking inside.
There were four police officers altogether. The one who the man was talking to ushered me to come off the train and talk to him. The girls asked if I needed someone to come with me and I said no. The police officer asked me what had happened and took a few details from me. My name, age, address, phone number. He asked if I'd like to file charges against the lad and I said yes. He then asked if I'd like to come down the station now to make a statement or go home and tihnk about it. "I dunno, I err, I'm just so shaken, shaken up", I replied. In the end I agreed to go down the station.
Still the argument was happening on the train, till one of the police officers pulled the shouter off and sat him down, telling him to be quiet. The attacker was then found and brought to me. "Is this him", the police officer asked and I said yes. I didn't even want to look at him. I saw him placed against a wall and read his rights. "I'm arresting you with actual bodily harm" I heard the police woman say. She then put handcuffs on him and took him away.
The policeman I was talking to went back on the train and talked to my friends, explaining where I was going. A man next to me on the platform asked me what had happened. He seemed very nice and concerned.
The shouter came over to me and said he was sorry for his friend and offered me his hand to shake. "I can't", I replied. I wouldn't, on the basis that if he were truly innocent in all of this, he would of prevented his friend from headbutting me. He got charged with public disorder for all the shouting he was doing.
The train doors closed and Laura and the rest went home. I got led by the policeman into the train station's staff room, while the two lads were taken away in a police car. While in the staff room, he took a few more details, such as the names of all of my friends. I found out that the policeman's name was Brian. After about 20 minutes there, the policewoman came back and we went the police station, where for the next 90 minutes I had to give a statement while he wrote it all down. During this time, I could feel myself getting dizzier and dizzier and also more tired. I managed to give him a description of the person who attacked me and the others and any other information he asked for.
After that, he told me that if the lad said he wasn't guilty of it, that it'd go to court and I'd have to appear in court which I was ok with. If he said that he did do it, then it wouldn't go to court. He took pictures of my forehead.
After that, he got two of his colleagues to drive me home. I thanked him for all of his help and shook his hand. He was a really nice guy.
In the policecar coming back, Brian said over the radio that the pictures hadn't turned out so good and needed to take more so someone might be coming round tomorrow to take more.
Once home, I rang my mum, but she didn't answer (she was in a pub). 30 minutes later she rang back and I told her what had happened and she came home. I hate talking to my mother when she's been drinking. I told her what had happened though.
So tonight has been both a very good night and one of the worst nights. Never have I ever shown violence to anyone, in any situation and yet this happens to me. I did nothing to provoke him, nor did I say anything. I try and try to get out more and this happens. This really affects my self confidence.
All through this, I have tried to remain calm, yet everyone around me was either crying or shouting. So much shouting. I just sat there, not saying anything. Shaking. Holding back my tears. I managed to stay focused and calm, however. I managed to take control of the situation by knocking on the guard's door, alerting the police, getting them arrested, getting a statement taken and most of all, not reacting to the violence given to me. I am a very peaceful person. I really dislike violence.
My head is aching so much right now and has been doing so for nearly four hours now. It'll no doubt be hurting tomorrow too and the bruising is going to be extensive. I think I am in a state of shock currently, because all I feel is tired. I did feel scared and felt like crying at one point, but that's subsided now, although i'm sure it'll come back to me at some point.
On Monday, i'm going to ring James Riley and ask if I can see him before my next appointment, as I told Brian that I suffer from depression and he said that that could help in the case against the lad. He asked me to ask James for a few details about my condition. He also said that he'll get me in contact with victim support, who'll help me along the way, should it come to court and also compensation. Apparantly, bail for ABH is �1000.
I have a lot of pictures of us having fun in the limo which I'll show you tomorrow. I'll also write up a full account of my night before the assault but for now, my head is hurting too much to write anymore so i'm going to go to bed now.
Headbutts 1. Self confidence 0.
4:05am
