Children at a school dance at the end of the year were left in tears and trapped in limos after a group of motorcyclists allegedly ruined the evening by blocking the road.
Sixth grade students at St Gregory’s Catholic Academy, in Longton, near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, were attending the prom on Thursday evening when a group of 60 motorcyclists showed up.
It is alleged that the group then scared children by running their motorbikes and created a ‘blockage’ that prevented parents from driving on the road.
The school has attacked the group for causing ‘nuisance on public roads’, saying it is in the hands of the police.
But the motorcyclists themselves hit back, saying they were there to support a little girl who was at the prom and whose mother claimed to be a victim of school bullying.
They added that the behavior of other outraged parents had left the children in tears, alleging that a parent had threatened members of the group.
Parents beat up the motorcyclists, claiming they ruined a special occasion for their children
The incident came days after the night of the school awards ceremony was marred by threats from a mother, with the school shutting down a day later on Wednesday after a complaint was filed against the same woman, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
After this, the school party for the sixth-grade students fell into chaos when the motorcyclists arrived, the parents claim.
Clashes between parents and motorcyclists reportedly took place around 6 p.m., when parents were unable to drive on the road because of the ‘blockade’, with those who did ‘have to be carried out of their limousine by teachers”.
A Facebook event was set up calling for “cycling as much as possible” to accompany the girl, who was reportedly a victim of school bullying, to the event.
The motorcyclists claim they did nothing wrong and it was the reaction of some parents that left some children in tears
Photos and videos from Thursday night show a group of motorcyclists waiting on Blurton Road before driving down Drubbery Lane toward St Gregory’s. The police were then called to the school because of the nuisance.
Parents say their children were left “intimidated and scared” at what was supposed to be a celebration of their time at St Gregory’s.
Vikki Smith, 32, whose son attended last night’s prom, said: ‘My son was trapped in his limousine with eight other children because they couldn’t get on the road. You couldn’t see the bikes, it was crawling. I asked them to move and they ignored me completely.
“We tried to take pictures of our children, but they ran their engines so hard that the children were terrified. My children were dragged out of the limousine by teachers for their own safety.
One child got stuck in the middle and was so scared that he had to be carried to school crying, shaking and screaming. The teachers tried to get them to school as quickly as possible. Five parents called 999.
“We have no problem with motorcyclists taking a child to the prom, but why couldn’t they let everyone through?
Parents Vikki Smith, Sarah Heeks and Louise Rowe outside St Gregory’s Catholic Academy in Longton. Mrs Smith said her son was trapped in his limousine and couldn’t get out
“My son will talk to anyone, he’s so bubbly, but when he came home last night, I didn’t get two words out of him, just one word answer. It scared my son last night.
“It’s just a shame for the kids, because they wanted to come and have a good night, but instead they were intimidated and scared.”
Adele Forbes’ daughter was also present at the ball last night. The 47-year-old said: ‘They were blocking the road and my daughter was late for prom. They told us to supervise a girl who is being bullied at school.
“The mother of this child started getting excited at an awards ceremony on Tuesday night and told people to fuck off. She said she would kick off then.
‘Then the school had to be locked immediately on Wednesday morning. I thought the fire alarm went off, but that was because she was in the school and allegedly threatened to throw a vase.
“A lot of our kids aren’t used to that kind of behavior and don’t deserve it. They want to remember their last days in St Gregory’s as a happy place, a safe place.
“But all they’ll remember now is someone being aggressive on the playground and they won’t understand why.”
Simon Grayley’s son was also present at the farewell ball last night. The 45-year-old said: ‘It was terrible. If they drop a girl off at school that’s brilliant, but once the little girl got in they tried to provoke a reaction from everyone and prevent people from going in.
“My little boy had to be taken to school. I’m disgusted. The kids heard nothing above the running engines and they startled the 10- and 11-year-olds.’
The procession was organized by two friends after the girl’s mother made an appeal on social media. They raised £400, which paid for the girl’s dress, hair and makeup.
Organizer Clare Campbell said: ‘There were a lot of bikes and when we got there, bikes stopped along the road and gave way to traffic, parents got impatient and a big man started yelling, cursing and threatening cyclists.
‘I was threatened in front of my children. I told them all to stop. Their behavior was what upset the kids, not the bikes.
“There was a Porsche and, I think, a Ferrari, both revving their engines loudly, but that was okay? Yes, some bikes had their engines running, but this is normal when doing a motorcycle escort. It was no louder than the Porsche or Ferrari running their engines.
“I am very happy that none of the motorcyclists took revenge for the abuse we received. All we wanted to do was make a little girl’s night special and make her arrive in style. Motorcyclists are great people and we do a lot for charities.
“I’ve arranged countless motorcycle escorts to proms and never had a problem. In fact, everyone loved it. I am really saddened and shocked by last night’s behavior towards the motorcyclists. We never tried to block the road under any circumstances.
“I feel sorry for the poor children who had to witness the disgusting behavior of the parents. We tried to do something nice and are now unfairly criticized for it.
‘The motorcyclists would have left much earlier if not all the parents had made such a scene. We weren’t wanted there and they were ready for trouble. It was downright disgusting.’
Clare Campbell, who organized the motorcycle meeting, said it was not the fault of those in attendance. She said: ‘Cyclists are great people and we do a lot for a good cause’
St Gregory’s says the matter is “now in the hands of Staffordshire Police”.
Chief Executive Margaret Yates said: ‘St Gregory’s has a robust anti-bullying and complaints policy and takes all reports of bullying or complaints very seriously.
‘Every report or complaint is quickly investigated and action is taken where necessary.
‘Unfortunately, an attempt was made to cause a nuisance on the public road outside of school when our graduates arrived for their prom; the group of adults involved is not affiliated with the school.
“Some of our students were intimidated and moved to tears by the behavior of the group.
“We are extremely grateful for the support of our parents who witnessed the incident and the matter is now in the hands of Staffordshire Police.”
The child’s mother does not want to respond.
Staffordshire Police are investigating both incidents.
A police spokesperson said: ‘Police were called to a property just before 8.50am on Wednesday (July 13) following reports of a disturbance.
“Agents are working to determine the full circumstances of the incident and are conducting highly visible patrols in the area. Investigations are underway.’