A TEENAGE boy has been scarred for life after he was mugged and brutally bottled in the face on a rush-hour bus in Barnet.

Derek Taylor, 15, was travelling to his Barnet home from Southgate College on Monday when he was attacked by two men on the top deck of the 307 bus in Station Road.

Bus passengers moved downstairs as the two teenagers launched the vicious attack at about 5.40pm which left Derek with 20 stitches and horrendous facial wounds.

He said: “I was just sat on the top deck when these two people came up to me and demanded my phone and iPod and started going through my pockets.

“They were threatening me with the bottle so I just handed them over as I didn't want to get hurt as they were being quite aggressive. I just wanted them to go away.

“Then they hit me in the face with the bottle four or five times. I was screaming in pain and the other people on the top deck just moved downstairs. They didn't even tell the driver what was going on.”

Eventually the driver pulled over and the two muggers got off the bus. Derek was rushed to Barnet Hospital before being referred to a specialist at Chase Farm Hospital, in Enfield, where 17 pieces of glass were picked out of his face.

The GCSE student was also mugged three weeks previously as he walked to shops near his home. Thieves stole the mobile phone he was given for Christmas.

He added: “I was mugged before but it was nothing like this. I can't believe people just stood by and let them do this to me. How would they react if it was their child being attacked?

“I can't go out, I can't do anything. I don't even want to be at home, I just want to get out of here.

"It's put me off travelling on public transport.”

His father, truck driver Mark, 42, condemned the people who left his son to be attacked.

He said: “I'm absolutely gutted for him. I feel as if I let him down but there's nothing I can do about it. I've told all my sons only to travel downstairs on buses from now on.

“His face is in some mess. I can't understand how the people sitting there can just get up and move downstairs while someone is being attacked like that.

“If I had seen it, I would have intervened. For them to attack him after he gave them his stuff is just senseless.”

Mr Taylor said they met another family at Chase Farm Hospital whose son had been attacked in a similar manner minutes before Derek on the 121 bus.

A spokesman for Barnet police said they had been notified of the attack and were making inquiries to track down the robbers, who were described as black, between 15 and 16 years old and wearing black clothing.

Anyone with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.