Four teenagers have been arrested after a man was left with a broken nose and broken ribs in an unprovoked attack at Colindale Underground station in north-west London.
British Transport Police said officers were called to the platform at about 5.50pm on Monday, May 25, after the assault on the Tube station platform. The victim was looking at a map when a train arrived and a group of youths got off. One of them allegedly kicked his heel as he passed, and when he challenged the group the situation escalated. He was then punched and kicked before the group left the station. Members of the public gave first aid on the platform before the man went to hospital, where his injuries were confirmed.
The arrests give the case an immediate weight that goes beyond a routine station disorder. Four people, all 15, were held on suspicion of grievous bodily harm: three 15-year-old girls and one 15-year-old boy. That leaves police trying to match those arrests with the wider group seen in the station and with the three people they have now asked the public to identify from released photographs.
That appeal matters now because investigators are still trying to piece together exactly who was present and what role each person played in the violence. British Transport Police want anyone who recognises the three people pictured to text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 563 of 25 May. Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
For the victim, the damage was already done on the platform. For police, the unanswered part is not whether the assault happened, but whether the people shown in the images can be named before the inquiry moves any further.
