A couple were left with horrendous injuries after they claim they were attacked by a gang of teenagers on a tram.
Josh Websdale, 30 and his wife, Amanda Rillo, 33, had to be treated in hospital following the incident which left Josh requiring stitches for a deep wound on his forehead.
Amanda had just finished an 11-hour shift and Josh had been out for drinks with a friend, before four of them boarded a tram home.
The pair headed from East Didsbury to the St Werburgh's Road area of Chorlton in Manchester at around 11pm on Saturday.
The group had been chatting amongst themselves when Amanda's friend complimented one of the teenagers on her pair of Dr Martens shoes, Manchester Evening News reports.
Amanda claims the comment was taken the wrong way by the girl, causing the group of several girls and one boy to become angry.
In the moments that followed, the couple say they were subjected to abusive language, before their face masks were ripped off by the group.
They claim they were spat at by the group of teenagers, before both being hit to the head with a glass bottle of alcohol.
The attack left Josh requiring stitches in the back and front of his head, and Amanda's forehead had to be glued back together.
"We were just amongst ourselves, chatting and laughing and we were almost at our stop," Amanda said.
"One of the girls from the group came over and walked to the doors on our side. Our friend said to the girl, 'nice Dr Martens, I have never seen ones like that before.'
"She took it the completely wrong way, and her friend came over and said she was only 17, and started calling us paedophiles."
Amanda says none of the group of around a dozen teenagers were wearing face masks on board the tram.
"They all just jumped on us and got in our faces...they just wanted a fight," she said.
"I tried to calm the girls down and they started saying you're not from around here, you are American. They were just being nasty.
"They were trying to provoke us and we were not having it. They started ripping off our face masks and spitting at us."
Amanda says after her face mask was removed by one of the girls, the male in the group came up to her and 'whacked' her round the head with a bottle.
Josh says he tried to step in to protect his wife, when he too was attacked with a glass bottle of alcohol.
"The next thing I remember I had taken a massive whack to the head which caused my forehead to split open and bleed," he said.
"As we got off the tram one of them began chasing us, threatening that their dad was going to 'shank us.' We ran all the way home and phoned the police."
The couple's other two friends were not seriously injured in the attack. Josh and Amanda required hospital treatment.
"We are trying to be as mentally tough about it as we can," Josh said.
"I think what we have been left with is a feeling of sadness for the young people around here who felt a completely unprovoked attack was necessary."
Amanda says the incident has left her too frightened to use the tram again.
"I moved over here from Philadelphia were I lived in a really rough area and nothing bad ever happened to me," she said.
"On a journey from Didsbury to Chorlton this happens. It is disgusting and it needs to stop.
"We are just so angry and we really hope that police find them."
Greater Manchester Police and Metrolink have been contacted for comment about the incident.
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