CCTV nabs girls throwing brick at car

BRITISH police officers yesterday said they were “appalled” after two nine-year-old girls were captured on CCTV throwing a brick through the window of a car from a motorway footbridge.

The pair, who were too young to be prosecuted, were quickly traced to the bridge over the M25 near Merstham, Surrey, and taken home after being caught targeting motorists on Sunday May 11.

Chief Inspector Mark Clark, from the Strategic Roads Unit, said: "This really has to stop now before more people are killed or maimed."

The number of cases where objects have been thrown into oncoming traffic from motorway footbridges has "dramatically increased" in the last few months, police said.

In the first quarter of this year Surrey Police dealt with an average of 26 incidents a month twice as high as in any of the last three years.

Mr Clark said: "I appeal to parents of children who live within easy travelling distance of a motorway, please make sure your children are not participating in such a dangerous activity.

"There is always a danger of copycat incidents but we must warn everybody of the tremendous dangers being caused to innocent motorists.

"I warn both parents and their children who engage in this activity that prosecution for this very serious offence will always be our objective."

Details of the incident were disclosed as detectives investigating the murder of a lorry driver, who was killed two months ago by a stone thrown from a motorway bridge on the M3, say they have a new lead in the case.

Police investigating the death of 53-year-old Micky Little, near Camberley on March 21, are looking at links between the attempted theft of a Renault Clio car nearby on the same night.

Detective Chief Inspector Graham Hill, leading the inquiry, said: "The most direct route between the scene of the attempted car theft and the footbridge would have taken the offender(s) past the building site where the brick used to kill Mr Little was removed from.

"We are therefore looking at the likelihood the same person or people were involved in both incidents. This was a despicable crime and we are determined to find whoever is responsible."

A spokeswoman for the AA said it welcomed Surrey Police's decision to highlight the continuing trend but stressed the importance of keeping the figures in perspective.

"There have been very few deaths caused by objects being thrown from bridges," she said.

"There are a thousand people a year killed through speeding and 500 through drink-driving so it's very important that we keep it in perspective.

"We would like to see more CCTV cameras. The fact that these two nine-year-old girls have been caught will work as a lesson or deterrent to those of any age contemplating doing the same."