Boy stabbed ‘for his coaches’ as he walked to school to sit GCSEs

The father of a boy who was stabbed on his way to school has told the ECHO of his shock and disbelief after coming home to find his son covered in blood.

The 16-year-old schoolboy was transported to the hospital after being stabbed in the arm by two men, around 7 am, yesterday, Monday, May 20.

The boy was due to sit his GCSE English exam yesterday morning and his school told him to come in early. The industrious student left home at 6.45am and decided to walk along Smithdown Road rather than his usual route because he thought it would be the “safer option”.

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When he turned the corner on the main road, the boy said he saw two men on a bicycle. According to his father, the men – believed to be in their 20s – then timed his son and “turned his bike”.

The father said: “He felt they were going to try to do something so he tried to avoid them. But they caught him at the bus station. Basically, the bus stop is the width of the sidewalk, so you can’t escape. .”

The horrified teenager saw a bus approaching and tried to stop it to get on, even though it wasn’t going in the right direction. But according to the boy’s father, the bus did not stop and the men saw an opportunity to move on the young man.

The father added: “The men grabbed him and demanded his bank card and his trainers. He refused to hand them over. So they grabbed him and pulled him against the wall.”

During the attack, the teenager said he heard one of the men say to his friend “let me stab him”. However, by this time the other man had already attacked the schoolboy, using what he describes as a “butterfly knife” to tear his school uniform.

Despite the attack, the boy still tried to make his way to school, but seconds later “saw blood dripping” so ran home, clutching his arm as he walked.

The boy’s father, who was at work at the time, received a phone message from his son saying he was coming home. He said: “I didn’t think there was anything wrong – maybe he forgot his key or something. But then he calls me saying he’s been stabbed, so I rush straight home.”

The father returned to a scene of horror. He said: “I saw blood everywhere. It was just terrible.”

Speaking to the ECHO from the family’s living room, the father was clearly worried about what had happened to his son. He said: “It happened in broad daylight, it’s absolutely shocking. We are all in a state of shock.”

Asked what can be done to prevent incidents like this from happening in the future, the father said: “We just need bigger sentences. Even if they catch them, you just think they’ll get away again, right? They don’t care, these people – they don’t even cover themselves, they didn’t wear masks or hoods.

Fortunately, the boy’s injuries are not serious, and he was discharged on Monday afternoon. His father said: “They missed the artery and said in hospital he was lucky. And I think it’s lucky they only stabbed him once.”

Neighbors spoke of the industrious young man in glowing terms and the schoolboy said he was keen to get back to his studies. He said: “I missed my English exam today and I was looking forward to it.”

A spokesman for Merseyside Police said extensive CCTV, forensic and door-to-door inquiries are underway in the area – and detectives are appealing for information following the attack and attempted robbery.

Detective Inspector Michael Fletcher said: “Our inquiries are in the early stages but we initially believe this was an attempted robbery. We understand the concern that incidents like this cause in our communities and we will do everything in our power to find those responsible and bring them to justice for a young teenager, this is horrific and will be an extremely traumatic.

“Carrying knives can have fatal consequences and it is only by luck that the victim is not more seriously injured. If you live locally or are passing by on foot or in a vehicle, please check any devices, especially around 6.50am. Anyone who saw the incident, or anyone who left on foot or on a pedal bike, may have vital information to help you.

“Through partnership working, patrols, warrants, stop and field searches, we are committed to preventing the devastation caused by knife crime and in the last year we have seen knife crime in Merseyside fall by 18 .6%. Last week was a week of action as part of Sceptre, the national knife crime awareness campaign, and we want to continue to highlight the harm that gun ownership causes so that the number of people affected continues to fall.”

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