This young boy thought he was going to die after he was brutally assaulted in a Dublin park in broad daylight.
The teenager, 13, whose mother has asked not to be named, was left seriously injured and rushed to intensive care when he was subjected to a brutal 20 minute assault in Dublin’s Bushy Park last Thursday.
Gardai now say they are investigating the “serious assault” and are appealing for witnesses to come forward.
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The boy’s heartbroken mother issued the Irish Mirror with this shocking image of her son lying in a hospital bed - bloodied and terrified after he was repeatedly kicked in the head and beaten by a gang of teenagers.
The horrified mother told us how her son was enjoying a day at the park with a female friend when he was set upon by a gang of youths and mercilessly beaten.
“It was just a normal day and my son was meeting his friends in a park that should be safe in broad daylight,” the mother said.
“He was just standing there with one of his best friends when a male who is much older than him came from the side and he punched my son in the head and knocked him to the ground.
“Then a gang of them beat him up in a brutal attack that lasted 20 minutes and had three rounds. They would take short breaks and then start again. Some of them had sticks and they were kicking him in the head.”
The horror attack, which was witnessed by others, allegedly saw one youth say they needed to “finish off” the teenager by running over his head with a bicycle - but the final brutal act was called off.
The mother has since been told that the attack was filmed and streamed to social media - and she now hopes those who have the footage will hand it over to gardai.
She also believes the attack was not random in nature and that the gang - some of whom are known to the victim - appeared to target him in advance.
“It was not random, it was planned and like carefully planned. They lured my son there. I am Brazilian and my son is Irish but he does look different. He’s also very popular in school and I believe they targeted him because of that and because of where he’s from.
"This is not isolated case. They have been around for a while and they do this. They go after people they see as weak.”
The devastated mother recalled how she got a phone call telling her her son had been badly assaulted and was being rushed to hospital in a serious condition.
The youngster was at first admitted to ICU and tests were done to determine if he had suffered any brain damage. Thankfully he did not suffer brain damage but was left with several broken bones and a bloodied face.
“It was a horrible horrible nightmare to the point that you get your son to have a scan on his head and you don’t know what’s going on inside his body,” the mother told us
“But thankfully there was no internal bleeding bleed coming from his head and the doctor said he had a few broken bones.
The mother says her son told her how he believed he was going to be killed in those horror 20 minutes - and how he now fears staying in Ireland any longer.
“He thought when the attack started first how he was in a concrete area that’s and they were kicking him in the head, that his head would split open.
“It was a horrible fight for survival for such a young boy . Can you imagine he totally thought he said he going to die. You see these things happening on the news but you never think it’s going to be your son,” she said.
Describing how her son is coping now the mother said: "For the first time ever my son asked me could we move to Brazil. this is very hard for me and I fear for my son safety. He’s so scared,” she said.
The heartbroken mum says all she wants now is justice and for those responsible to own up and be punished. Gardai said that they are investigating the serious assault and that to date no arrests have been made.
A Garda spokesperson told us: “Gardaí are investigating an assault that occurred on the 6th July 2023 at 3.28pm in Bushy Park, Terenure, Dublin City.
“A teenaged youth suffered serious injuries and was taken to Crumlin’s Children’s Hospital for treatment. No arrests have been made at this time. Investigations are ongoing.”
