Serious response to skate path kicking

By Matthew Farrell

The mother of an 11-year-old boy kicked in the head at Ōmokoroa Skate

Path says it’s important the community knows there was a serious response to the “shocking” incident, particularly for the youth offender

She says her son was sitting down at the time of the unprovoked assault, around 4pm on Monday 16th January, and was briefly knocked unconscious

The mum has expressed appreciation for the community’s concern but says after being overwhelmed with messages of support, they’d prefer not to be named in print and will be grateful for privacy going forwards

“However, it does need to be discussed as it’s a real issue, so I’m happy for the incident to be mentioned in the Lizard as one of a spate of recent crimes

“We went through so much with it People should know that a plan has been made to improve safety regarding this particular of- fender and an accomplice

“People need to keep their eyes peeled Our children shouldn’t feel this unsafe in play areas, ” she says

The mother previously told Facebook that the Police found and apprehended two youths, and the instigator’s parents were made aware

“The thugs are in the minority, but certainly causing lots of trouble in our community ”

She says her son ’ s braces were broken, his jaw bruised and misaligned, and his lip was cut and swollen, which led to five hours in head trauma assessments in hospital

The victim’s mother and father thank adults at the scene who helped their son and called the Police