A petition to ban balaclavas in the UK has now attracted over 50,000 signatures as one mum told how her eight-year-old son was left ‘traumatised’ after yobs with their faces covered ploughed into him
A devastated mum has joined growing calls for Britain to ban balaclavas after her eight-year-old son was left ‘traumatised’ by masked thugs on E-bikes who ran him over. Ethan Hodson-Ridgway was launched 10ft into the air after two balaclava-clad yobs on an electric bike ploughed into him just outside his home in Manchester on December 20 last year. He suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg, a collapsed lung and sustained a gash to his head, leaving him in hospital for a week over Christmas.
His mum, Amy Hodson-Ridgway, 34, has since been campaigning for a ban on balaclavas – claiming they “provide anonymity to countless individuals committing crimes” – and is backing greater regulation on mopeds and e-bikes.
READ MORE: Primrose Hill victim’s friend heard harrowing screams on phone before student stabbedREAD MORE: Girl, 13, killed in Corby after e-bike incident ‘lived life to fullest’
The Change.org petition, which already has nearly 50,000 signatures, says that balaclavas and bikes without number plates “embolden criminals” and help them “evade accountability”.
Despite being footage being provided, Amy said police told her they were unable to identify the suspects who fled the scene due to their identities being hidden, leading to the case being closed just three weeks later.
Amy, from Denton, Manchester, who has since had to leave her job to take care of Ethan, said: “Balaclavas have provided anonymity to countless individuals committing crimes in our neighbourhood.
“It has made it nearly impossible for law enforcement to identify and prosecute perpetrators.
“This single piece of clothing has turned our community into a breeding ground for lawlessness and fear.
“They embolden criminals, from petty thieves to dangerous drivers, allowing them to evade accountability.”
There are currently no laws outlawing the wearing of balaclavas, though local councils can use Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) to allow police to issue fines to those who refuse to remove face coverings. Police also have powers to ask people to remove face coverings at protests, and building owners can ask people to leave their premises if wearing them on private land.
Ethan had been with his stepfather, Charlie, 27, and twin sister Olivia as they made their way back from a day of “being spoiled” at the shops on the first day of their Christmas holidays.
But while crossing the road he was hit by the two e-bike riders, who were travelling at around 45mph. Olivia frantically ran home to alert her mum. Amy explained: “It’s definitely traumatised us all – his twin sister, older brother Jack, Charlie and me.
“It was around six o’clock on the 20th, and they were crossing the road when out of nowhere this bike came out of nowhere at great speed, no lights, no plates, nothing, and hit Ethan head-on.
“I still have flashbacks of when his sister ran in the house to get me, the look of pure terror on her face. I ran outside, and luckily, they were right next to our house.
“I was expecting to see he’d just fallen, but he was on the floor, not even crying, but moaning, blood everywhere.
“I initially thought both legs were broken because one was so swollen, and you could see the bone under the skin of the other.
“It was freezing, but I just sat on the concrete with him in my arms; it was horrible, he just kept saying to me ‘Is this real life mummy?’, he wasn’t with it, just awful.“
Ethan required stitches in his head at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and had to wait to get a metal rod inserted into his leg as a result of the collapsed lung.
The football and kickboxing-mad youngster still hasn’t been able to return to the sports he loves, and the mum explained that the incident has affected other members of the family too.
She said: “Olivia was having severe flashbacks, wasn’t sleeping, getting really upset, and that was really hard. She only really settled when Ethan returned to school, but they’re still very hyper-aware and clingy when they hear bikes.
“This is a family populated area, but the bikes are going around everywhere, and the balaclavas are purely being used to hide someone’s identity so they can get away with things.
“It was disappointing that the police didn’t do anything, but it’s also understandable; it’s hard to identify someone with one on. Only two or three days after Christmas, the bikes were back around the area, and I sent some footage to the police, but they didn’t take it.
“It’s impossible to identify them, the balaclavas are obviously the issue, and the bikes are really dangerous. They’re happy children, and Ethan’s resilience has pulled us all through it.
“But when they’re out now, they’re always on high alert. On the walk to school, they’ll hear a bike and squeeze my hands, looking around. They don’t want to play out the front anymore, because our house goes onto a walkway and bikes are always flying past.”
She said the recent Gorton and Denton by-election had prevented her raising the campaign on an official level, but she is now awaiting the next steps after getting in contact with her new MP.
For now, she hopes the petition will help bring to wider attention the issues present in her community for years – and is grateful for all the support she has received from the public.
She added: “I feel a lot of anger that Ethan was hurt, and these people got away with it, but the sense of community and love for Ethan has been heartwarming.”
