Young people waiting to meet Anthony Joshua “terrorised” an elderly couple and “attacked” a pregnant woman’s cab.
The boxer, who grew up in the Meriden estate, promised to come back when he toured the estate to meet young people on September 15.
After previously facing criticism for arriving unannounced, Joshua announced he would be visiting again on Saturday, October 1 at around 7pm.
This reportedly led to large groups of youngsters causing chaos in the road when he did not turn up on time.
According to posts in the Meriden Residents Association Facebook group, this included “terrorising” an elderly couple as well as jumping in front of cars and banging on the roofs.
A pregnant woman added that her cab driver had to drop her off on a different road, leaving her to walk through the crowds with her bags after the car was “attacked”.
Anthony Joshua. Picture: PA
In the online discussion, some felt the disruption should have been planned for due to previous crowds.
Others argued it was not Joshua’s responsibility to control what the young people did and that he was within his rights to visit the estate he grew up on without organising an event.
One commenter on Facebook said: “No one said what those kids did was AJs fault, but it’s not rocket science to foresee what would happen with a large group of frustrated teenagers – therefore, organisation is needed.”
Another said: “He turns up to give kids scooters and PlayStations, but a few kids banged on a car and he’s to blame?
“How about their parents need to rein the kids in? But no, apparently it must be someone else’s fault.
Anthony Joshua posing with Meriden kids. Picture: Snapchat
On September 15, Joshua was recorded visiting the Meriden in his Range Rover to ask a group of kids what they want to be when they’re older and deliver some life advice.
Later this year Joshua will star in a pre-recorded Snapchat series called A Fighting Chance with Anthony Joshua, in which he will talk about his life and be a mentor for the younger generation in Watford.
