An innocent young boy who was beaten to a pulp by a gang of sick thugs told his horrified mam “I thought I was going to die and never see you again.”
Ben O’Connor, 11, was playing with friends near the skatepark in Ballyfermot in south Dublin when he went to use toilets in the nearby Leisure Centre.
While he was exiting the facility at around 6.50pm a gang of up to seven thugs in their late teens were gathered outside the premises, wearing black masks, and randomly called Ben over.
“They said ‘Here bud, come here,” and Ben said no and continued to ignore them as he thought they wanted to take his phone,” Ben’s mam Leah, who highlighted the horror incident on social media, said when contacted by The Irish Mirror.
All of a sudden the thugs grabbed Ben under his armpits and carried him to an area out of sight of the public.
“Four of them started to attack and punch him, kneeing him in the stomach.
"When he fell to the ground some of them stamped on his face several times.
He was left with a shoe print near the eye area of his face and had a concussion. He was covered in blood, ” a horrified Leah said.
“One of them all of a sudden had a conscience and shouted to the other lads ‘Enough, leave him,’ but while Ben was on the ground they started to record the injuries they caused,” she continued.
The sick thugs then ran away from the area leaving Ben on the ground covered in blood.
Leah, who had only recently let Ben out to mix with friends and play for an hour in the evenings because of his young age, was alerted to the horror assault when one of Ben’s friends ran to her parents house shouting “They took Ben.”
“It didn’t sink in what was happening so we went running to the skatepark and found him,” said Leah, who was visiting her parents but also lives close by.
“It was heartbreaking and an awful shock to see Ben covered in blood. This incident is every parents’ worst fear.”
Gardai were called and Ben was brought to Temple Street Children’s Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.
“The gardai were brilliant. They knew how to handle the situation and helped keep Ben calm before we went to hospital. And checked in with us later on too.”
“I am angry, upset and shocked about what happened to Ben,” said Leah. “He was obviously in the wrong place at the wrong time and did nothing wrong,” said Leah.
“And it was completely heartbreaking to hear him tell us afterwards that he thought he was going to die and never see us again. To hear a child say that is just horrific.”
Ben was left badly shaken over the incident.
The sick thugs claimed they had a knife but did not produce one during the horror assault.
Leah, who highlighted the horror attack on social media, said she and her family have received “overwhelming support” from the community and strangers.
“Everyone has been so supportive, it’s overwhelming,” she said.
In her social media post, Leah praised Ben’s friend who came to find her and tell her Ben was taken.
“I’m forever grateful. I’ve never felt a fear like it,” she wrote, adding she is “so lucky to have him home in one piece and wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”
“I’ve an amazingly strong son, but he is just 11, and as a family we are just broken that it happened to my not so little gent.”
Gardai have confirmed an investigation into the assault is ongoing.
“Gardai are investigating an alleged assault which took place in the Ballyfermot area on Friday, February 11 at approximately 6.50pm.
“A male youth received injuries and was taken to hospital to receive treatment for facial injuries.”
Gardai confirmed no arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.
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