Hate crime probe launched into bus abuse of man with cerebral palsy

Tom West is an official photographer for Charlton Athletic

Police are investigating reports of a hate crime after a man with cerebral palsy said he was followed and verbally abused.

Tom West, of Harrietsham, Kent, is a photographer for Charlton Athletic FC.

He was en route to the Addicks' match against Ipswich Town on 7 December when a group of eight youths followed him onto a bus in south London, he said.

A Met Police spokesman said it was in the process of recovering CCTV from the bus.

Mr West, who has ambitions to become a renowned football photographer, said it was one of the "worst experiences of my life".

On the bus, 21-year-old Mr West, who uses a wheelchair, said a group of six boys and two girls told him he was "a waste".

And he said he was compared to Stephen Hawking, told to stand up and quizzed about intimate details. He added: "They said 'can you do this?', 'I bet you're no good at that', 'I bet that's impossible'."

'Retreated into myself'

He said he became aware the group of youths went past their planned stop, and instead decided to follow him.

"I retreated into myself...I tried to take it on the chin. I told them it's not on, but they didn't want to stop.

"Nobody on the bus stepped in, but they looked at me when I got off. I saw a few saying like 'sorry I didn't help', but I just thought it's too late.

"It wasn't until I got off and a Charlton fan who recognised me stepped in and told them to go away that they left me alone," he said.

He said he wanted to speak out about his experience because "it should never happen to anyone".

"That's why I love Charlton. I'm treated the same as everyone else, and I'm part of the community," he added.

The police inquiry is ongoing. No arrests have been made.

A Charlton Athletic spokesperson said: "We're really devastated to hear about what happened to Tom.

"There's obviously no room for any sort of abuse in football or outside of football.

"But the way he's dealt with it and handled it is a tribute to himself."

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