A mum claims her 12-year-old son was brutally attacked by a man and teenage boys while in a park with friends. Badly bruised Alfie has been "scared to leave the house" since he was strangled and repeatedly punched near Cwmgors rugby club in Neath Port Talbot county, his mother Sue told WalesOnline.
Sue, who did not wish to give her surname, said her son was with two friends at the rugby club on Sunday afternoon when a girl approached. "My boy had just been sitting on the settee with his friends and a girl started filming them," she added. "Alfie asked why she was filming and asked her to delete it but she said 'no' and ran off."
The boys were not overly concerned by the incident and they went out to the nearby Parc y Werin at around 5.30pm, but shortly afterwards they were approached by two men who appeared to be in their 30s and two boys who looked 13 to 15 years old, said Sue. One of the men reportedly said: "Someone has been bullying my daughter." Alfie also said he heard a male voice say: "That's him over there." For the latest crime news, subscribe to our newsletter here.
One of the men allegedly punched one of Alfie's friends to the nose before the boy managed to run away in an attempt to get help. Sue said Alfie's other friend was held still by one of the group but not hurt. Meanwhile, Alfie was viciously beaten, she said.
"My son was being strangled and punched so it was hard for him to tell who was doing what, but at least one of the adults was involved as well as the teenagers. My boy nearly passed out from being strangled. He was so dazed he could barely feel the punches to the head. He thought he was going to die.
"One of the adults did some of the punching. He said, 'That's not how you do it, this is how you punch.' It's just disgusting."
Alfie was in shock and unable to tell how long the attack lasted but eventually he was let go with an alleged warning from one of the men: "If you tell anyone, we'll track you down and we'll kill you." He returned home "traumatised" with bruising and blood covering the right side of his face. He had taken blows above and below his eye, and to his cheek, lip and chin.
He spent six hours at Morriston Hospital in Swansea where he had a head scan which showed no damage beyond heavy facial bruising. The boy was referred to a Singleton Hospital eye specialist who did not identify a major injury but has scheduled another appointment for next week.
Sue said the biggest impact has been psychological. "His life's been threatened. He's living in fear and scared to go outside. The hospital has referred him for counselling and escalated it because of his age... We're asking for any witnesses to come forward."
South Wales Police confirmed it had received a report of an assault outside the rugby club. Neighbourhood Inspector Lindsey Sweeney said: “This apparently unprovoked attack has left a 12-year-old boy in a state of shock.
"Enquiries are ongoing. However, we believe that there may well have been people in the area at the time of the incident who may have witnessed what happened. I would appeal for anyone that was in the vicinity of the rugby club around 6pm on Sunday, or who may have witnessed the assault, to get in contact with us quoting occurrence 2300030842."
The force later issued an update to say that a man, 36, and teenager, 16, had been arrested. See more.
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