Autistic student, 12, 'lured to park and beaten unconscious' by group of minors who recorded assault
GLASGOW, UNITED KINGDOM: Ten young people are accused of luring an autistic schoolgirl to a park where they knocked her unconscious as they recorded the assault on their phones. Following the horrible incident in Glasgow's Drumchapel on Tuesday, October 4, 12-year-old Abbie Jarvis spent two days in the hospital.
Abbie had agreed to meet a school friend in the park, but when she got there, she alleges that another girl had set upon her as other kids filmed the incident. The Daily Record states that Abbie allegedly suffered multiple head kicks, multiple punches to the face, after being knocked to the ground.
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After Abbie's mother Angela, 43, noticed that her daughter hadn't replied to a text, she said she got a "terrible feeling" that something wasn't right. Then she got a call from Abbie, during which she overheard a girl yelling her name in the background. The mother of four hurried outside to find Abbie. When she got there, she discovered her daughter unconscious in the back of another parent's car, covered in blood.
Angela said, "She was covered in blood, falling in and out of consciousness. She couldn't even speak.
"She had a lump on her head that I still cannot even believe to this day was real because it was so big. She looked completely deformed."
Angela hurried her daughter to the Royal Children's Hospital. The schoolgirl had a horrific bruising and significant cut to her skull that needed to be stitched together. Angela added, "Even now, I can't bring myself to think of her lying there during that beating and waiting for it to stop."
Due to the seriousness of Abbie's wounds, the medical staff who treated her notified the police. A 13-year-old girl has been charged in relation to the incident, according to Police Scotland. She is scheduled to show up in court at a later time in Glasgow.
According to The Daily Record, the teen was given bond with the restriction that she not approach the victim. Due to her social anxiety, Abbie had been having difficulty in school for a number of months. In June, she transferred schools, where she made new acquaintances. Currently, according to Angela, her daughter has fully regressed and is afraid to leave the house.
She added, "She keeps having nightmares about this girl chasing her. She doesn't want to walk out of the door. This has left her completely traumatised. There are spells where she is even struggling to pronounce her words properly and she is slurring them a lot."
Now, Angela is endorsing a petition started by community activist Alex O'Kane requesting that the Scottish government do something about the alarming culture of youth violence. You can sign the petition here if you'd want to.
Glasgow MSP Paul Sweeney said, "Such violence has unfortunately become far too common in Glasgow and Abbie's case is one of the worst I have ever encountered. It's abundantly clear that something needs to change. I will be supporting the petition that seeks to address Scotland's culture of youth violence."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said, "A 13-year-old girl has been arrested and charged following the alleged serious assault of a 12-year-old girl in Southdeen Avenue near Southdeen Park, Drumchapel, Glasgow, on Tuesday, October 4. She has been released on an Undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal and the Scottish Children's Reporters Administration for consideration."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Everyone has the right to be, and to feel, safe in their community. While only a small minority of young people offend, violence is never acceptable. Ministers cannot comment on individual investigations or decisions. The police response will continue to be measured but robust - to protect both the public and young people in Glasgow City."