Bus passenger defends schoolgirl from man hitting on her in Sydney
/ News.com.au
A Sydney bus passenger has been praised for standing up for an underage schoolgirl after she was hit on by a foul-mouthed "creep".
Christopher Moriarty, a director, writer and actor, was on a Sydney morning bus yesterday when a man he described as a "sketchy creep" boarded the bus and began talking to the girl seated next to him.
"You've got a nice smile," the man in the hat said to the young woman, which Moriarty said caused him to "audibly sigh".
The passenger swears and points at Chris Moriarty. Photo / Facebook
But Moriarty, who appears in a short clip posted to social media, told The Daily Mail comments made by the man to the girl about being "barely legal" caused him to speak up.
"He told her she had a nice smile, and at that, I reflexively scoffed, as it was so sleazy every way, in delivery and time, place, recipient.
"I spoke up because it was obvious he was making her uncomfortable, and it was weird to me that this weirdo was openly explaining to her exactly how legal 'barely legal' is.
"And I was also impressed with her cool calm and collected F-U attitude towards him. She'd clearly been through this before. And so have I."
The short video of the incident, which Moriarty said was filmed by a stranger, only lasts for 30 seconds, but Moriarty said the altercation on the bus lasted for five to seven minutes.
Moriarty told The Daily Mail most passengers on the bus turned a blind eye to the incident and pretended it "wasn't happening" until the incident escalated to boiling point.
As Moriarty tried to exit the bus, the man in the hat raised his fist and had to be restrained by other passengers, according to The Daily Mail.
Christopher Moriarty described the passenger as a "creep". Photo / Facebook
Moriarty has been praised online as a hero for his actions.
"Not that I am the least bit surprised that you stood up to this a**hole, but THANK YOU. You are my hero," a woman commented on Facebook.
"Dude — straight up — You're Batman," a man wrote on the post.
"Handled absolutely perfectly. Well done. You should be proud," another person commented.
"Thankyou for speaking up for her, we need more legends like you," another person wrote, with a sparkling love heart emoji.
In April, Sydney train passengers were outraged by loudmouthed US evangelist Phillip Blair, who began preaching in busy train carriages as people were commuting.
Author Malcolm Frawley was dubbed "book man" for confronting the preacher on the train and telling him to "shut up" repeatedly because he was trying to read his book.
