A man has told how he stepped in to stop a fight between two schoolgirls at Hamilton Bus Terminal, and expressed his surprise that the Police have not appealed for any eyewitnesses.

Andre Outerbridge, 47, said he intervened and helped separate the Berkeley Institute student and a girl from Warwick Academy on February 19.

The father-of-four Mr. Outerbridge said he was standing chatting to someone on Washington Street when the altercation started.

He said: "I stopped it one time. I took her (one of the girls) into City Cafe and bought her a bottle of water and told her to cool down. When I pulled the girl off, another gentleman had picked up the other girl."

The Warwick student suffered minor facial injuries and was treated at hospital after the incident. A 14-year-old student from the Berkeley Institute has since been charged with assault and will appear at Juvenile Court on March 25. She and her mother have claimed publicly that she was acting in self-defence.

Mr. Outerbridge told The Royal Gazette: "What amazes me is that the Police haven't asked for any eyewitnesses. That should be the first thing they do in an incident like that."

A Police spokesman said that although no appeal for witnesses was made in this case, a number of people had come forward. He said anyone else with information should call 295-0011.

The incident hit the headlines when a strongly worded e-mail complaint to Berkeley from a member of the public who saw the alleged attack was circulated around the Island.

School governor Eddie Lamb issued an equally vociferous response, sparking debate on the causes of youth misbehaviour.