Epileptic teen tortured for an hour and forced to act like a dog in brutal attack by gang of four boys
Violent crime is on the rise in the town of Tonbridge in Kent, England. Antisocial gangs are reportedly roaming the streets, bringing to mind images from Anthony Burgess’s ‘Clockwork Orange’. The uptick in crime is being felt across the town and one mother has shared the chilling story of how her epileptic son was brutally tortured and degraded by a gang of boys.
Karen Sinfield told KentLive, “My son is 17 and he was visiting a friend’s flat at Speyside when a group of four boys got him. They tortured him for about an hour making him pretend to be a dog in a dog bed.
"They spat on him and kicked him in the head. He’s epileptic.
“He was so shaken afterwards and wasn’t able to give the police a statement. They just said ‘What’s the point in calling us if you can’t give a statement?’ Now he doesn’t leave the house.
"There is no police presence anyway and the whole area has gone downhill,” the 53-year-old added. “Everywhere you go you can smell weed and there’s broken glass on the pavements.”
“Our officers work tirelessly to ensure Tonbridge remains a safe place,” said Jon Turtle, of the Tonbridge Community Safety Unit, in a statement. “Residents and business owners should be assured that we have dedicated officers who work with partner agencies to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour on a regular basis and providing a visible presence is one of our ongoing priorities.”
“We are aware of concerns raised over incidents of antisocial behaviour in parts of the town and officers will be carrying out additional patrols of some areas.”
Reports of violent crime have reportedly more than doubled in parts of Tonbridge. Statistics show that the figures for recorded crimes against a person had risen from 3,371 in May 2018 to 3,891 in May 2019.
The Trench ward area alone is suffering an 88 per cent increase in all crime reported, with figures for recorded violent or sexual crimes having increased from 100 in 2016 to 260 in 2018, with
There has, however, been a drop in the reports of antisocial behaviour in the town between 2018 and 2019, going from 302 to 206.
“Though there was an increase in crime reported in Trench, over the past year this is reducing,” said Tom Tugendhat, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling. “It is testament to the hard work of all in the community, particularly our two wonderful community activists, Councillors Pam Bates and Georgina Thomas, and organisations such as Tonbridge Baptist Church that Trench is a safer place to live with a great community feel.”