A 16-year-old boy has been charged for bulling a Syrian refugee schoolboy in Huddersfield.
The incident was caught on camera and has been spread across social media, showing the 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, attacking the 15-year-old Syrian last month.
The victim was walking across a field at Almondbury Community School before he was dragged to the floor by his neck and had water forced into his mouth by the older boy, who could be heard saying ‘I’ll drown you’.
The bully was interviewed by West Yorkshire Police, who have explained he will appear in Youth Court for his actions.
A statement released by the police explained:
He has been reported for summons, for an offence of assault. He will appear at Youth Court in due course.
The incident occurred on 25 October at Almondbury Community School and has been subject to thorough investigation since it was reported to us the day after. The victim and his family are receiving ongoing support from police and other agencies.
According to Sky News, after the attack the headteacher of Almondbury Community School, Trevor Bowen, said:
The safety and welfare of students is of paramount importance to us and this was a very serious incident.
We are not able to comment further as we are supporting the police with their investigation but I want to be clear that we do not tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any sort in our school.
The 16-year-old has been on the receiving end of lots of threats on social media since the video’s release, and the family of the attacker have been forced to leave their home after being targeted by a gang of vigilantes who hurled abuse at him, The Sun report.
A neighbour explained:
The boy’s family were moved out last night for their own protection.
People were pulling up in their cars in the early hours and shouting threats and all kinds of abuse. It was disgusting.
A police car has reportedly been parked outside the property since 10pm last night (November 27).
Police have also taken safeguarding measures to protect the victim and his family. They have urged social media users not to share the video any further as it could prejudice criminal proceedings.
If you’ve been affected by bullying, and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (Part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am – 9pm, Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sunday.
Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.