Boy, 11, battered in terrifying town centre attack as hero passers-by intervene
An 11-year-old boy walking to school has been knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched in the face by a 'singing' man in a terrifying town centre attack. The youngster was walking to the breakfast club at Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent, in Tunstall, with his 14-year-old sister when he was attacked in Burslem.
The incident has left the boy too scared to leave his home.
Mum Sarah Murray, aged 41, said: “They said there was a man singing to himself and mumbling to himself. They’ve crossed the road and he has approached them and said ‘Are you the kids from yesterday?’. They’ve looked at him and walked off because they didn’t know who he was. As they’re walking off, he has gone and kicked my son full in the back from behind, pinned him to the ground, and started choke-holding him and punching him. He has tissue damage and bruising. But, mentally it has knocked him and he won’t go out.”
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StokeonTrentLive has been told four men managed to pull the attacker off the boy before he fled. The terrified siblings were given refuge in a passing car until police arrived.
But the family are furious that the attacker has reportedly been allowed home on bail.
Stepdad Simon Barlow, aged 42, said: "This gentleman is still walking around Burslem and our children still have to go to school and back. There’s nothing stopping him from attacking our children again or somebody else’s children. Everybody in the community is dismayed about how little the police have done."
Staffordshire Police are appealing for witnesses following the attack. It happened near Wrights just before 8am on Tuesday, September 17.
A police spokesman said: "We arrested a 37-year-old man, from Stoke-on-Trent, on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He has been released on bail while enquiries continue."
Witnesses should call the police on 101, quoting incident number 111 of 17 September, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on on 0800 555111.
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