Moped gang terrorises Telford paper boy
A boy who was hounded by a gang of teenagers on mopeds in Telford was left too frightened to do his paper round.
The 13-year-old, who doesn’t want to be named, began delivering the Shropshire Star last summer to make pocket money and enjoyed his part-time job, until a confrontation near the old Charlton School site in Severn Drive, Wellington, before Christmas.
The boy’s mother said: “It was two older boys on mopeds shouting, one of them said something like ‘get that kid on the bike’.
“They chased him and he started cycling away, he got to the Apley Woods and he got away.
“I told him not to worry and that it was just people being silly. He went back to it and it seemed to be okay.
“But then last Monday he saw them again and there were six of them on mopeds, they chased him and shouted at him.
“He was terrified because he is a 13-year-old being chased by a group of people on mopeds. I don’t blame him.”
The boy got home safely but gave up his round, and his mother said he is now too scared to go to certain parts of Wellington in the dark.
Families
"He just doesn't feel he wants to do it anymore. A 13-year-old should be able to do his paper round in peace.
"He doesn't want to be around in this area, which is where he grew up and where I grew up.
"He used to go out on a Saturday delivering the papers and go to see his mates, he really enjoyed it."
She hopes the older boys’ families step in and try to stop the intimidation.
"I have heard from other people who have said they have had incidents with this group of boys. Maybe if there is more awareness it might get back to their parents," she said.
“I hope the parents find out about it. I can’t imagine there are hundreds of kids out there on mopeds.”
Lauren said her son described the boys as being between 16 and 18, and being seen in the Dothill and Brooklands areas.
The family has reported what happened to the police.