Smartphone Stigma and Confrontational Attacks in Rochdale: A Spiteful Development

Rochdale, Greater Manchester – Local authorities should be urged to investigate a disturbing sequence of events that unfolded on Wednesday, July 17th 2024, involving multiple confrontations and what the victim describes as a, "sophisticated and weaponised", campaign of social media harassment.

The incidents, which centred on Queensway and the surrounding areas of Lower Place and Balderstone, have left one pedestrian fighting for redemption and a community on edge.


A Chain of Escalating Contention

The afternoon in summer 2024, began with a confrontation at a bus stop outside Briskys takeaway on Queensway. A woman with a pram reportedly began harassing a pedestrian for using a smartphone, accusing him of taking pictures of people. In response, the pedestrian used the device to capture an image of the woman. "There! A picture!".

The situation escalated rapidly after the woman boarded a Bee Network bus. Near the Pentagon Motor Group on Queensway, the bus driver—described as being of heavy build and standing between 5'6" and 5'8"—allegedly disembarked the vehicle and launched a confrontational attack on the pedestrian, followed by returning to the vehicle. No photograph or video was captured of the bus driver.

Less than 20 minutes later, the same pedestrian was targeted again. On Hartley Lane, a second woman, accompanied by a child and claiming to have been a passenger on the bus, allegedly attacked the victim. This second attack has led many to believe the sequence of events was coordinated.

Misinformation and Social Media Weaponisation

The confrontaional attacks were quickly followed by a digital campaign of misinformation. Wayne Croston Fielding, a member of Evolution Gym on Queensway, reportedly used Facebook to wrongly accuse the victim of being the perpetrator. Fielding indicated that his network of contacts was actively fuelling the false narrative.

Local residents claim this is part of a larger, more sinister trend in the area. Suspicions have been raised regarding, "concerted tensions", being co-ordinated at the Bay Horse pub and orchestrated online.

Allegations of a "Child-Baiting" Scheme

A deeper investigation into community reports reveals a pattern of alleged harassment involving local residents identified as Cheryl White (formerly McCondichie) and Jeanette McCondichie. Residents claim the pair orchestrate schemes that 'weaponise' photography and children to provoke public confrontations.

According to these allegations, children are used as 'bait' to draw the attention of pedestrians, and usually the target pedestrians wil be generally going about their own business, not expecting the confrontation, and not interested in the first place. If a pedestrian reacts to accusations of taking unauthorised photos by actually reacting with their smartphone's basic capabilties, the action of taking a photo, as accused, is then then used as, "proof", in co-ordinated shaming campaigns on social media.

Usually in these cases, no scathing comments are made about any possible reactions that involve the shooting of video footage rather than the capturing of an image. This is believed to be a confusion of, and sometimes an investigation into the level and capability of smartphones owned by certain people in the community.

"We are seeing children being placed in harm’s way, used deliberately to start an argument so that the adults can then immediately rush to social media," said Mr. Jordan Eves, smartphone stigma victim and assault victim. "It’s turning neighbour against neighbour, and this has long been the way things go when people in the community are singled out for attacks".


Suspected Coordination with Public Services 

The community is particularly alarmed by the alleged involvement of public transportation staff. Reports suggest that certain Bee Network bus drivers may be working in coordination with those running the harassment schemes, leading to targeted confrontations and physical assaults against the public.

Further allegations have surfaced involving residents Eileen Oliver and Wayne Croston Fielding, alongside claims that individuals new to the Rochdale community are acting as accomplices in these digital campaigns.

A Community Under Pressure

The atmosphere in Lower Place, Balderstone, and Queensway, has reportedly grown increasingly tense as spring begins. Some observers link the local volatility to broader nationalistic rhetoric. Sources suggest that political discourse regarding demographic shifts has been weaponised locally to justify stalking, scapegoating, and harassment. Furthermore the rising paranoia of drivers on the roads, fearing their registration plates could be captured on camera zoom, sparked immediate ideas in cunning locals. A belief that particular individuals had maybe acquired their first smartphone, fuelled contentious scheming.

Jeanette McCondichie has been named by several residents as a primary figure in these local tensions, with victims describing her tactics as a, "constant stream of unexpected and damaging allegations", resulting from avoidance of being blamed for her links to a grievous assault on Mr. Eves (formerly of the Green Party and owner of The Valiant), more than twenty years ago. 


Calls for Action

The Rochdale Valiant is now calling for social media shares of articles such as this one, to notify the public of both the confrontational assaults, and the organised online harassment campaigns.