Boy stabbed 'for his coaches' on his way to school to take GCSE exam

The father of a boy who was stabbed on his way to school has told the ECHO of his shock and disbelief after coming home to find his son covered in blood.

The 16-year-old schoolboy was taken to hospital after being stabbed in the arm by two men at around 7am yesterday, Monday May 20.

The boy was supposed to take his GCSE English exam yesterday morning and was told to arrive early by his school. The diligent student left his home at 6.45am and decided to walk down Smithdown Road, rather than his usual route, as he thought it would be “the safest option”.

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As he turned the corner off the main road, the boy said he saw two men on bicycles. According to his father, the men – apparently aged in their 20s – then clocked his son and “turned their bike around”.

The father said: “He felt they were going to try to do something, so he tried to avoid them. But they stuck him at the bus stop. Basically, the bus stop is the width of the sidewalk, so you can't run away. “.

The terrified teenager saw a bus approaching and tried to stop it to get on, even though it was going in the wrong direction. But according to the boy's father, the bus did not stop and the men saw an opportunity to move towards the young man.

The dad adds: “The men caught up with him and asked him for his bank card and his sneakers. He refused to give them back. So they grabbed him and pulled him against the wall.”

During the attack, the teen said he heard one of the men tell his friend “let me stab him.” However, by then the other man had already attacked the schoolboy, using what he described as a “butterfly knife” to tear his school uniform.

Despite the attack, the boy still tried to get to school, but seconds later “he saw blood flowing”, so he ran home holding his arm.

The boy's father, who was at work at the time, received a message on his phone from his son saying he was coming home. He said: “I didn't think anything was wrong – maybe he'd forgotten his key or something. But then he called me to say he'd been stabbed, so I rushed straight home.”

The dad returned to a scene of horror. He said: “I saw blood everywhere. It was just horrible.”

Speaking to the ECHO from the family living room, the father was clearly distressed by what happened to his son. He said: “This happened in broad daylight, it's absolutely shocking. We are all in shock.”

When asked what could be done to prevent such incidents from happening in the future, the father replied: “Just hand down harsher sentences. Even if they catch them, you just think they're going to get away with it, right? “They don't care, these people – they don't even cover up. They weren't wearing masks or hoods or anything.”

Fortunately, the boy's injuries were not serious and he was released from the hospital Monday afternoon. His father said: “They missed the artery and they told the hospital he was lucky. And I guess he's lucky in that they only stabbed him once.

Neighbors spoke enthusiastically about the hard-working young man and the schoolboy said he was eager to return to his studies. He said: “I failed my English exam today and I couldn’t wait to pass it.”

A Merseyside Police spokesperson said extensive CCTV, forensic and door-to-door investigations were underway in the area – and detectives were appealing for information about the assault and attempted flight.

Detective Inspector Michael Fletcher said: “Our investigations are at an early stage, but we initially believe this to be an attempted robbery. We understand the concern that such incidents cause in our communities, and we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice. For a young teenager, this is terrible and will have been an extremely traumatic experience.

“Carrying knives can have fatal consequences and it is fortunate that the victim is not more seriously injured. If you live there or if you pass by on foot or in a vehicle, please check the devices, particularly around 6:50 a.m. Anyone who saw the incident, or anyone fleeing on foot or on a pedal bike, may have vital information to help.

“Through partnership working, patrols, warrants, searches and ground searches, we are committed to preventing the devastation caused by knife crime, and last year we saw knife crime in Merseyside reduce by 18.6% Last week was a week of action as part of Sceptre, the national campaign to raise awareness of knife crime, and we want to continue to highlight the damage caused by carrying knives. weapons, so that the number of people affected continues to fall.

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