The mayor of Bristol and his deputy questioned the police’s decision not to take further action against a woman who allegedly hit a 12-year-old boy on the forehead with a paddle and said “we seem to have a bad decision.”
Marvin Rees and Usher Craig issued a statement on the case, which was first unveiled by Bristol Live last week, involving a brawl between a group of young people and a woman in Conham River Park in late March. Antoine Forest received a horrific cut on his forehead and videos shared on social media show a woman protesting with a group of his friends while the 12-year-old boy was walking dizzy and bloodied.
Police arrested and then arrested a woman at the scene. Antoine’s family was initially told there was no evidence of further action against the woman, and any investigation was dropped.
Read more: Family anger after boy, 12, “paddled by woman”
Since then, Antoine’s family has organized a campaign to raise awareness of the incident, a petition is gaining momentum, and late last week, Avon and Somerset police announced they would review the incident and resume the case.
Now that Bristol Live’s story has garnered national attention this week, Marvin Rees and Deputy Usher Craig have issued a joint statement questioning police action and raising concerns about the incident and its aftermath.
They said the findings of the review should not be “detached from their historical, political context”. Antoine was the “only black boy” in a group of young men throwing mud balls into the water. But the woman spoke only to Antoine and reportedly hit him.
Police have now reclassified the incident as racially motivated.
“The supervisor decided that the evidence he received would not lead to a realistic prospect of a verdict,” said the mayor and Cllr Craig. “He decided that no further action would be taken against the suspect. A film about the incident appeared on social networks. In the days following the incident, police have set up a strategic coordination group led by a senior officer and have launched a review, which will be led by a detective sergeant, under the supervision of a senior officer. They will examine the progress of the initial investigation and the decision not to take further action, “he added.
Mr Rees and Cllr Craig said they had spoken to Chief Police Officer Sarah Crewe and Chief Assistant Peter Warren about the case. “We shared with them our concern for the victim’s well-being, the decision and the way it was taken,” they said. “We remain open to the possibility of having information about which we have yet to be informed. But, as it is now, it seems that we have made a bad decision – we will still be aware of any information that would explain the decision for a reasonable level of satisfaction.
“We were clear that all the necessary resources should be invested in reviewing this decision and what follows. We must have a full understanding of what happened to this young man, why and justice (whatever that is in this case) must be We were also clear that if the review shows that if there was damage, we / the police need to understand whether this is an isolated incident, part of a pattern of behavior of an individual or a team, and whether it is evidence of as yet unresolved systemic failures.
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“It is also important that all findings are not separated from their historical, political context. This will be crucial for understanding the direction of our police service and the pace of change. These findings must be shared with us and the community, “they added.
Tyne Forest, Antoine’s father, told Bristol Live about the impact the incident had on his son, who was playing by the water at Conham River Park in Brislington on March 26 with friends. He also spoke of the disappointment he and his family felt when they received a letter from police on April 14 telling him that no further action would be taken against the woman.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees (Image: unknown copyright)
He said: “A hand in the teeth is that nothing happened. I knew she wouldn’t go to jail or anything, but I thought maybe it was at least in her file or she’d be fined.
“If the police could find a solution, it would be better, but it’s disappointing. I don’t want my son to live the rest of his life believing that there are no consequences to such things.
“We’ve been getting a lot of support from people since it happened in March, and Antoine is living with it. We continue to reassure him, but he is scared and upset, and we are upset that nothing has been done.
Antoine’s aunt, Antonia, shared photos on her Instagram account of her nephew’s injuries, as well as a video of the woman colliding with his friends after hitting him with a paddle. Along with images showing the 12-year-old’s bloodied face, she accused the woman of highlighting her nephew because of the way his skin looked and wrote: “On March 26, I was devastated by receiving this photo of my nephew.
12-year-old Antoine was left with a deep cut on his forehead after being hit in the face with a rowing boat by a woman (Image: AntoniaShanice / Ty Forrest)
!! He and his friends were playing on a lake in Bristol when this lady accused and attacked my nephew with the paddle of his boat for throwing stones that he doesn’t even throw !! he is very tall for a 12-year-old, she thought it would be good to attack him! “she added.
The mayor and Cllr Craig shared a renewed call by police to witness the March 26 incident. “Many people were in the river area this afternoon. “If you witnessed the original incident, or have a phone number or other footage that could help, please call 101 and call 5222071897,” they said.
Last week, after Antonia’s post on social media was widely circulated and Bristol Live called Avon and Somerset police about the case, police said they were reviewing what happened.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We are re-appealing witnesses as part of our ongoing investigation into an alleged attack on a 12-year-old child on the banks of the Bristol River. Police were called to report that a woman hit a child near Conham River Park around 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 26.
“An initial investigation was conducted, which included taking testimony from the child and an adult family friend and wife, who were arrested and later released from custody before being questioned at a police station. The initial result was that no further action would be taken on the basis of the evidence gathered at the time.
“The review was launched immediately after senior officers learned of the decision to close the case without further action, following public concern. Bristol Commander Superintendent Mark Runakers, along with Chief Inspector Mike Buck and community leader, met with the wounded boy’s father yesterday to explain what action has been taken so far and give him further details on what the review will look like. “
Ch Insp Mike Buck said: “We are very grateful to the boy’s father for agreeing to meet with us and for having a constructive conversation in which we answered his questions and gave him assurances about this review and what it means. We have full sympathy for his family and listened carefully to what he had to say. We have given him a full commitment to carry out a comprehensive and in-depth review and to keep him informed of his progress.
“We have reclassified this incident as racially motivated and have a detective sergeant in charge of the inspection, supervised by a senior officer. The review will include identifying and making statements from as many people as possible who witnessed the incident, finding and reviewing all available staff, reviewing 999 calls to the emergency services, gathering medical evidence and liaising with relevant partner agencies.
12-year-old Antoine was hit in the face with a boat by a woman while playing with friends on a local lake (Image: Thai Forest)
“There will be lessons learned from this incident, for example, we have already identified that the family should be given the right to be examined after the initial decision not to take any further action, and we apologize for that.
“It is only right and correct that we have been scrutinized for the decisions we make, and I want to assure our communities that we are listening and taking action to review all aspects of this incident and how the initial investigation was conducted.
“We will learn from this and the decisions we make will be subject to even further scrutiny so that our communities can have full confidence in the outcome.
Police are again urging other witnesses to appear, as they know there were many people in the river area this afternoon. Police want to hear from anyone who witnessed the original incident or who may have a phone or other footage that could help. Call 101 and give reference 5222071897.
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