'The media is wrong. We're not all psychos'

Published on Saturday 26 January 2008 19:47

EVEN the torrential rain of a winter Friday night in Glasgow was not enough to deter the trio of youths from pitching up on their usual street corner.

Huddled together, the hoods of their tracksuits pulled right up over their heads – protection against the elements, not to deter identification – the trio looked more miserable than menacing.

Danny and Derek are 14, their mate Garry is a year younger, and all of them have characteristics identified in the Edinburgh University report.

Both the elder pair's parents split up several years ago. Danny lives with his mother while Derek claims he sleeps at his grandmother's house, but out of earshot of his two pals he reveals he actually splits most of his time between their two homes.

Garry's mother and father are still together, but although currently in school, he has been excluded once already from classes after allegedly – mistakenly, according to him – being accused of throwing a mobile phone at a teacher.

The trio is typical of any group of teenagers who you might see loitering around the streets of Glasgow at any particular time.

Derek said: "It's your lot's (the media] fault. We're not all psychos. We just want a laugh and a bit of fun. If the polis left us alone and people didn't treat us like kids then everything would be all right."