Kids throw lighted matchsticks at elderly women

Kids throw lighted matchsticks at elderly women

TWO elderly women sustained minor burns after three boys and a girl were allegedly involved in throwing lighted matchsticks at them in Circuit Road on Tuesday afternoon, reported Lianhe Wanbao yesterday.

Cleaner Wu Xiujin, 76, was chatting with some friends at the void deck of Block 42 at about 2.50pm when four children who appeared to be between the ages of 10 and 12 approached.

To her surprise, one of the boys tossed a lighted matchstick in her direction.

Madam Wu told the evening daily that she immediately felt "a sharp pain" on her left arm.

"I shouted at him but he had already fled," she recalled.

"Luckily the matchstick didn't ruin my new top, which cost me $25."

The group struck again 15 minutes later at a storeroom about 200m away. Their target this time was cleaner Zeng Lili, 71, who was tidying up the room when she felt a burning sensation on her lower back.

Turning around, she saw a boy holding a matchbox in his hand. The child ran away before she could react. She later discovered a burnt hole in the left sleeve of her top.

According to the two women, the pranksters returned briefly to the scene later. One of them grinned and said "auntie, bye bye!" before fleeing again.

The incident was witnessed by part-time cleaner Situ Jiahui, who heard screams coming from the storeroom. The 33-year-old later lodged a police report after scouring the surrounding blocks in vain for the children.

When Lianhe Wanbao spoke to both women, they were still visibly upset.

"I can only hope they realise the severity of such actions and decide to turn over a new leaf," said Madam Zeng.

Madam Wu, meanwhile, remains undeterred.

"I will continue to come here and I will call the police if I happen to see them again. They ought to know that such pranks are wrong," she told the paper.

Police are investigating the incident.

 


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