Woman attacked by teens on Edinburgh bus backs calls for more support for youth services

A woman attacked by five teenage girls on a bus in Edinburgh has called for more support to be provided for youth services in the city.

Aliyah Matos, 20, was sitting at the front of the bus when she was assaulted on her way home from work.

The attack comes amid concern that incidents of youth violence are on the rise across the city.

Aliyah told STV News: “I was sitting right at the front of the bus and one of them came up behind me and hit me in the jaw.

“Then they started punching into the back of my head. They dragged me to the floor and I was kind of jammed in between the front of the bus and my seat – they were just pounding into the back of my head, kicking me and punching me.

“After they got off the bus I realised they’d taken my bag, so I ran after them and they tried to throw another last couple of hits at me, but once I got my bag back there was nothing stolen.

“It was just a horrible experience.”

Aliyah believes attacks like these are becoming more common.

Aliyah was left with cuts and bruises after the ordeal. Aliyah Matos

She said: “It’s everyday that you hear about it and it’s not just in this area, it’s everywhere. It’s all over Edinburgh that these young kids are just hitting random people and it’s not like they know them. It’s just whoever looks vulnerable, whoever can’t defend themselves.

“I had four or five lumps on the back of my head, I lost quite a bit of hair that night. The bruising on my arms were awful, they were black and blue.”

Services like The Citadel in Leith aim to curb anti-social behaviour among young people in the capital.

The Citadel in Leith is facing a 71% funding cut. STV News

But its future is now at risk due to a 71% funding cut from City of Edinburgh council.

Willy Barr, manager of The Citadel, said: “I want these guys to be confident to make decisions, so when they get presented with opportunities to do stuff that’s against the law, or mischievous or whatever else, they say ‘no, I’m not going to do that’.

“And they know they’re not going to do that because they’re working towards getting an apprenticeship, going to college or realising it’s just fundamentally wrong.

“Youth work plays a key role in engaging with young people, usually at an important part of their life, so when you take youth work away, why are folk surprised that young people are still going to do their own thing and sadly some of that does involve activity and behaviour that we don’t want to see.”

Willy Barr, manager of the Citadel Youth Centre in Leith. STV News

The issue was brought up in the Scottish Parliament last week.

Ben Macpherson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, asked: “Can the minister say more about how the Scottish Government is working across portfolios and with other organisations to consider additional support for youth work as part of the response to the recent youth violence summit, particularly in areas like Edinburgh where unfortunately youth violence perpetrated by a very small minority has become more prevalent recently.”

Graeme Dey MSP, minister for higher and further education responded: “We’re considering what more can be done to prevent and reduce harm from violence. A report on the key themes is being produced and further cross-party discussion is intended.”

Police Scotland say enquiries into the incident remain ongoing, more than two weeks on from Ailyah’s assault.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.10pm on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, we received a report of an assault of a 20-year-old woman which took place on a bus in the Oxgangs Avenue area of Edinburgh. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Aliyah would like to see further support for youth services to prevent more attacks.

She told STV News: “I think it is just because they can do it, they’re going to do it. But I do think there needs to be somewhere these kids can go and project their problems.”

Councillor Joan Griffiths, education convener at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Our ‘Connected Communities Edinburgh’ grants programme tackles the impact of poverty on children, families and communities across Edinburgh.

“The quality of applications for the grants programme was extremely high, with many creative and well-presented submissions.

“In total, we had funding bids of £16.7m from our available budget of £10m over the three years. This meant not everyone who made submissions would receive the funding they asking for. However, we will support those organisations who have been impacted to apply for alternative funding streams.

“These grants, which includes 19 new organisations, will benefit vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and their families in Edinburgh.

“We will of course continue to monitor the progress of the funding over the coming three years to ensure the outcomes promised for our communities are being delivered.”