'Is he Downs Syndrome? I couldn’t deal with that’: Mother's fury as elderly woman on bus tells four-year-old son to 'shut up' then slams his disability
- Angie Theakston, 43, from East Riding of Yorkshire, and son Joey were on a bus
- Joey, 4, was insulted by an elderly woman sat on the bus after he became noisy
- The passenger then went on to say: 'Is he Down Syndrome? I couldn’t deal with that'
A mother was left outraged after her four-year-old son with Down Syndrome was verbally abused while travelling on a bus.
Angie Theakston, 43, from Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, and her son Joey had been passengers onboard the vehicle when her son was told to 'shut up' by an elderly woman.
The mother-of-four claims that the fellow passenger then went on to say 'is he Down Syndrome? I couldn’t deal with that’, leaving Ms Theakston horrified.
Mother Angie Theakston, 43, from Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, was left horrified after Joey, 4, was told to 'shut up' by an elderly woman on the bus
Joey had been excited for his trip on the bus when another passenger became irritated by his noise
Ms Theakston said her son, who has appeared on modelling shoots for the Early Learning Centre, had been excited for his trip on the bus and could not wait to get inside.
However a disgruntled passenger became infuriated with the noise he was making and turned around to tell him to 'shut up'.
Following the alarming encounter, Ms Theakston said she she was left feeling 'uncomfortable'.
Share this article
She told The Sun: 'It’s something that will stay with me forever. Thankfully he’s at that age where he’s not bothered which I’m thankful for. It hurt me more than it hurt him.
'He was really excited in the bus station, he just wanted to get on any bus. When it arrived and we were in the queue he couldn’t wait to get on.'
After touching the bobble on the passenger's hat, she was heard saying: 'Is he Down Syndrome? I couldn't deal with that'
Mother-of-four Angie Theakston, 43, went onto social media to share her encounter with the elderly woman and raise awareness of her son's genetic condition
The elderly woman then continued to tell another passenger sat next to her 'is he Down Syndrome? I couldn’t deal with that’ after an excited Joey touched a bobble on her hat.
Ms Theakston added: 'He reached forward and touched it and she jumped up, then she said to the woman in front: ‘Is he Down Syndrome? I couldn’t deal with that’.
Following the shocking incident, Ms Theakston, who is also the mother to 15-year-old Holly, Beth, 21 and Emily, 24, went onto social media to share her encounter with the elderly woman and raise awareness of her son's genetic condition.
She hopes that by telling her story people will become mindful of what they say to those with Down Syndrome.
