A transgender teen says he feels too scared to leave his home following months of relentless bullying in Tameside.
Riley Rogers no longer feels safe going out alone after saying he has suffered physical and verbal abuse in Denton .
The attacks began in November 2021 when the youngster was cyber bullied on his 13th birthday.
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The torment later escalated at Denton Community College – where Riley is a year 8 pupil – when he says he had his planner torn up and thrown out the window.
He was also hit with a backpack, he says.
The most recent attack came after Riley attended a LGBT+ group on January 31.
He had not long left the after-school meeting when he decided to visit Crownpoint Shopping Park.
The teenager, who came out as transgender at 11-years-old, was sat on a bench outside Aldi when he was approached by a group from school.
They allegedly snatched his bag from him before destroying it and threatened to hit him with some nearby plastic crates.
It’s believed a member of the group recorded the incident on their mobile phone.
It has since been reported to GMP as a hate crime.
Riley, who says the ordeal has left him “really upset”, has not returned to school since the attack.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News , he said: “I can’t really go outside anymore without anyone.
“For the past two days I’ve had to bring a teddy bear to grab onto.
“I’ve not been great at all. I’ve been really upset and haven’t been to school a lot.
“I was a little bit angry to be honest. I didn’t do anything. I was really upset.”
Riley's mum, Sarah Rogers, has described the bullying as “horrific”.
She believes the issue is not being handled properly by the school.
“It’s been absolutely horrific if I’m being honest,” she said. “No one around checked Riley was okay. No one said to the group to leave him alone.
“Riley rang me really upset. It shouldn't have been that we sent him to self defence for eight years because we were scared.
“Riley understands that with the change, not everyone is going to be aware of how to deal with it.
“I’ve watched my child be so brave dealing with people’s reactions."
She claims that it's been 'difficult to get through' to the school after the alleged incidents.
“He’s constantly getting picked on. I’m happy knowing Riley can handle himself, but he shouldn’t have to.
“He’s my baby and he’s not been to school since Monday. If he was a bad kid, I would understand him getting into scraps and fights.”
Denton Community College did not provide a comment when approached by the Manchester Evening New s.
