The mother of an 11 year-old boy who lost a finger running away from school has criticised police for announcing they’ll take no further action in the case. Raheem Bailey’s mother, Shantal Bailey, said she was “overwhelmingly disappointed”.
Raheem, a pupil at Abertillery Learning Community in Blaenau Gwent, claimed he caught his finger climbing a fence trying to escape bullies last May. His mother alleges Raheem was attacked by children in an alleged assault and fled in terror.
His right hand was so badly injured doctors had to amputate a finger. Criticising Gwent Police’s handling of the case Shantal added: “He is the victim in this and has been left with a life-changing injury.”
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Gwent Police said that after a nine-month investigation it would take no further action. The force said its investigation showed Raheem left the school premises of his own accord and no-one else was involved.
This is strenuously disputed by the schoolboy’s mother and her legal team which said she would be making a complaint to the Independent Office for Police Conduct regarding the force’s handling of the incident, and was also investigating a civil legal claim against Abertillery Learning Community for negligence.
Shantal said her son had been left traumatised and with life-changing injuries. She alleged her son had been the victim of bullying at the school.
“I am overwhelmingly disappointed by the police’s decision to take no further action in Raheem’s case. Although the police had indicated to me that this was the likely outcome, I feel that their statement makes it clear that they have taken at face value all other versions of events other than Raheem’s," Shantal said.
“He is the victim in this and has been left with a life-changing injury. My son is still traumatised by what happened to him and has a permanent physical reminder of the torment he suffered that day.”
Shantal claimed: “The events of that day followed a sustained campaign of bullying at the school over the preceding months and a previous experience that had taught him that reporting to a teacher would not make a difference. To state that no others were involved in what happened to Raheem is a complete insult and the police’s point about him leaving the school of his own accord is irrelevant.
“It has never been in question that Raheem chose to leave the school, however, he did this in a state of sheer panic and despair, which left him feeling as if he had no option other than to leave the school grounds by any means necessary. It is the altercation that caused him to flee the school in terror, and how he was allowed to do so unchecked and unchallenged by any responsible adult, that need to be addressed.”
Separately, Blaenau Gwent Council has said it will carry out an independent inquiry into the incident. But Raheem’s mother said: “While I welcome the announcement from Blaenau Gwent Council that they will be conducting an independent inquiry I am disgusted that they didn’t take the time to inform me directly and instead I have heard it from the press.”
A fundraising campaign following the amputation raised £107,000 in donations for Raheem’s treatment. Shantal is now looking into having a prosthetic fitted for her son. She said he had mostly accepted his “new normal” but he occasionally got down.
Frances Swaine, solicitor from law firm Leigh Day, which is representing Raheem’s family, added: “We echo our client’s disappointment, not only with the conclusion arrived at by the police but by the way they have chosen to communicate this, which seems to lay any blame with Raheem and exonerate all others.
“The altercation that led to him leaving school should be re-examined. Raheem had been reporting the bullying he had suffered for months but he felt that nothing was done by the school to help him.
“We will be supporting Shantal in making a complaint to the IOPC regarding the police’s handling of this incident and we are also investigating a civil legal claim against Abertillery Learning Community for negligence. While the council’s promise of an independent inquiry is welcome, it is appalling that this was announced to the press before the family themselves were consulted. It is crucial that any inquiry allows Shantal and Raheem to be fully involved.”
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Gwent Police has said that no further action will be taken. It said Raheem left the school “of his own accord” and no-one else was involved in him injuring his hand.
A statement from Gwent Police said: “We received a report of an assault of an 11-year-old boy at a school in Abertillery on Tuesday, May 17. All reports of this nature are taken extremely seriously by Gwent Police. Officers have interviewed several people under caution and viewed CCTV footage from the school.
“Our investigation found that Raheem left the school premises of his own accord and no other persons were involved in him sustaining the injury to his hand. After undertaking a detailed and thorough investigation we will not be taking any further action. We’ve met with Raheem’s family and informed them of the outcome of the investigation.”
The statement added: “We have worked closely with the school leadership team and the local authority and have appreciated their co-operation though this complex investigation. We all remain committed to keeping children safe.”
A statement from Blaenau Gwent Council, where Abertillery Learning Community is based, said the school had “fully supported” the investigation and an independent review to identify what lessons could be learned would now get underway. It added: “First and foremost a young person has suffered a life-changing injury and our thoughts remain with the learner and his family. The learning community did everything to support all learners affected, including doing everything possible to care for the injured learner at the time of the accident.
“The school and the council have fully supported the investigation from the outset and have co-operated as required with all aspects of evidence gathering. The well-being and safety of pupils and staff at the learning community, as in all Blaenau Gwent Schools, remains of paramount importance.”
They added that it had been an “extremely difficult” time for all involved, saying: “The incident unfortunately led to widespread commentary on social media and in the press, including by some high-profile stakeholders. The press and social media coverage fuelled unhelpful speculation during an ongoing police investigation when the school and the council were unable to comment.
“Now the official police investigation has concluded the council is commissioning an independent review to identify any lessons learned to help inform future incident management responses. Abertillery Learning Community and the council is appreciative of the support from families, colleagues, and the wider community and is pleased this has now reached a conclusion.”
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