Gang of bullies beat boy, 12, in vicious attack as he steps off school bus

05 April 2023 , 07:09

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Logan Latham, pictured with his mum Lizzie, was attacked as he got off a bus near his home

A gang of bullies battered a 12-year-old boy yards from his front door as he stepped off a school bus.

Logan Latham was targeted by a mob of around 10 other youths who chased him, before knocking him to the ground and repeatedly kicked him in the face and ribs.

Others filmed the sickening scene on their phones.

The victim's furious mum Lizzie says the assault would never have happened if her son's school had dealt with her complaints about bullying sooner.

The mum-of-six, from Wishaw, Lanarkshire in Scotland, said she has repeatedly reported incidents to Clyde Valley High staff since Logan started there in August last year.

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She has now decided to remove him from the school altogether.

Logan was confronted by a gang of around 10 youths as he made his way home

The schoolboy was knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked

The 41-year-old told the Daily Record: "I told staff Logan was being bullied months ago, but they didn't deal with it.

"If they had dealt with it, he wouldn't have been attacked. This violence doesn't just come from nowhere, it started off with bullying.

"These kids planned this. They had been going around saying a boy would fight him when he got off the bus.

"I'm going to move him to another school because Clyde Valley, they don't deal with bullies, it's shocking.

The video went viral after being shared on social media

"I don't want to live with the fear of sending my kid to school and not knowing if he'll come home or not."

A clip of the vile attack has since been circulated on Snapchat and shows Logan being confronted by another boy as the large gang circle him and his attacker.

The other boy attempts to throw punches at Logan as others can be heard chanting: "F***ing get him, go in at him", "f***ing m***o" and "get this on video".

The footage goes on to show Logan suffering several strikes to his head before he is chased to a street just seconds from his home.

Lizzie said Logan has been worried about leaving the house since the attack

He is then knocked to the ground and as he hits the pavement, more boys join in the fight, stamping into Logan's face and stomach while one other male grips onto his hood and repeatedly punches the side of his head.

The savage attack continues until a passing car blasts its horn, prompting the thugs to flee the scene.

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Reacting to the footage, Lizzie said: "It's sickening. Logan didn't want to fight anyone but as you can see in the video, he had no choice. He couldn't get up for days after it.

"He had a big bruise on the side of his face and really sore ribs. They also took his glasses away from him.

Lizzie said Clyde Valley High School ignored her complaints about bullying (Wishaw Press)

"Nobody should have to see their kids be treated like this, it makes me sick. I've hardly slept since watching the video and thinking about it."

Lizzie says her son's bullying started off with name-calling at school before it spiralled into violence.

Since the assault, Logan has refused to leave his family home over fears of being attacked again.

He has also been left feeling "ashamed" of the viral clip.

Monica Lennon MSP (Daily Record)

Lizzie said: "The bullying has been going on for some time now, but this attack and the video has really impacted him. He's not himself self at all now.

"He's like a prisoner in his own home, he's suffering and these wee boys are still out there, ruling the streets. This should have been nipped in the bud months ago."

Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour MSP for Central Scotland, said it's a countrywide issue.

She added: “This toxic culture is putting childhoods and futures at risk. It needs to be urgently addressed by the Scottish Government and public authorities."

Officers from Police Scotland said they were following a positive line of inquiry into the attack.

A spokesperson for Clyde Valley High School said: “Bullying has no place in our schools and we work hard to foster cultures of tolerance and respect. We are doing everything we can to support the family with this matter.”

A Snapchat spokesperson said: "If we find violent content being shared, or if it's reported to us via our in-app tools, we will delete it immediately and the account may be removed."

Ruth Suter