Firework youths terrorise nine-year-old girl during Bishop's Stortford Hallowe'en disorder
A nine-year-old girl has been left with a fear of fireworks after a gang of youths fired two rockets at her parents' car just after she had got into the vehicle.
On Thursday (Oct 31), the evening of the incident, rockets were fired at police, houses and cars as officers responded to almost 50 incidents of antisocial behaviour linked to Hallowe'en in Stortford in the three hours between 7pm and 10pm.
David Ketteridge, the little girl's father, was coming out of Jades Oriental Restaurant at around 7pm when he saw a group of 20-30 hooded teenagers fire two rockets at his car, which was parked by the St Elizabeth's charity shop.
His wife Anna had just put their daughter Amelia in the vehicle when they came under attack.
"One went under the car – it must have missed my wife's feet by millimetres," David said. "The other hit the side of the car.
"The bangs were so loud they set all the shop alarms off."
Ameilia was petrified. The group also aimed several fireworks at the doors of Sainsbury's Thorley.
David saw red and started chasing the yobs. A couple of police community support officers and Sainsbury's customers followed.
The teenagers ran towards the Thorley Wedge and shrieked abuse at him.
"They started firing rockets at me while I was chasing them and I felt something hit my leg," he said.
David was not injured. The group split up and escaped into the many dark, residential alleyways.
He said that his daughter, who is usually a confident and carefree soul, had been left deeply shaken by the incident.
"She didn't want to go to a firework display at the weekend because it has traumatised her," David said.
"She said to me, 'Is this what terrorism is, Dad'?
"They're terrorising children and terrorising people with explosives," he said.
"I don't understand what pleasure they got out of it."
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