The mum of 13-year-old Hope Lyden has spoken out after her daughter was violently attacked and left unconscious in a field, in what’s being called another shocking example of Scotland’s growing youth violence crisis.
Hope had agreed to meet a friend at Boden Boo in Erskine last Friday night. While waiting at a bus stop, she was suddenly approached by a girl she didn’t know who accused her of talking about her. Things quickly escalated when another teen, also unknown to Hope, pretended to help her get away—only to lead her into a trap, reported the Daily Record.
As the girls walked toward a nearby field, Hope was hit hard from behind and knocked unconscious. What followed was captured in disturbing footage that’s since gone viral: Hope was repeatedly kicked and punched while lying helpless on the ground, as dozens of onlookers stood by, filming and laughing. In another clip, the attackers can be seen dragging her limp body by her hair across the grass.
Hope’s mum, Katrina, 37, from Clydebank, was on the phone with her daughter when the attack started. “Hope phoned me, and all I could hear was her screaming. She was frantic. It was horrific. I could hear the kicks and thuds,” she said. “She screamed again, but then there was nothing else from her.”
Katrina rushed to the scene, where she found Hope lying on the ground with her clothes torn and hair ripped out in clumps. “She had her eyes open, but mentally, she was somewhere else. She looked traumatised and just absolutely stunned,” Katrina recalled. “At first, after seeing her like that, I was furious, but now I am utterly devastated that somebody could do this to her and just leave her like that. It is every mother’s worst nightmare.”
Hope was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and treated for concussion, a suspected broken nose, and a burst mouth. Police Scotland confirmed that two girls, aged 12 and 13, have now been charged in connection with the attack.
Katrina is backing the Our Kids … Our Future campaign, calling for the Scottish Government to invest in youth clubs and safe spaces to help guide young people. She believes the brutal attack could’ve been prevented if the teens had access to mentoring and a positive environment.
“This level of violence is terrifying, and the fact nobody jumped in to stop it is sickening,” she said.
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