TEEN ‘COWARD PUNCH’ SHOCK

Police called in after student’s jaw badly broken

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy has been left with horrific injuries after he was “coward punched” at school.

The Upper Coomera State

College (UCSC) student was hit in the side of the face so hard that his jaw fractured in three places, forcing him to miss the rest of the school year and leaving him fearful of his eventual return.

His alleged attacker is two years older and in Year 10 at the same school.

A 13-YEAR-OLD boy has been left with horrific injuries after he was “coward punched” at school.

The Upper Coomera State College (UCSC) student was hit in the side of the face so hard that his jaw fractured in three places. A metal plate had to be inserted.

The boy will miss the rest of the school year to recover.

His alleged attacker is two years older and in Year 10 at the same school. The Education Department would not say whether he had been suspended or expelled, simply saying “appropriate disciplinary consequence (was) being applied”.

A family friend of the 13year-old victim, speaking on behalf of the boy’s devastated mother, said the teen faced a long road to recovery and was fearful of returning to school.

“(Last) Thursday afternoon, after school had finished, out the front of the UCSC gates, there was a group of boys standing around,” the family friend said.

“Our boy has gone to talk to one of his mates there. He got asked if he was another boy, but before they finished the question, the attacker walked up from behind and smashed him in the side of the head.

“He has multiple fractures in his jaw. He has had surgery and titanium plates put in. There is still a chance that he will lose some teeth, the surgeons are hoping the teeth that have been loosened and displaced will come back into place with the titanium plates.

“Now he is on a strictly puree diet for six weeks … he’s 13 years old. It’s horrible.”

The friend said the victim was the “kindest and sweetest” boy. “He is really aware of people’s emotions and cares more about other people than himself. He’s been consoling his mother and even asked me how the staff at UCSC were doing. He even feels bad that he damaged the carpet in the office, with all the blood that was pouring from his mouth.

“You would think kids are safe at school. Teens do stupid stuff, they go hang out at train stations and shopping centres and be thugs and do stupid things. Sending him to school, we thought he was safe.”

Police confirmed they were investigating, although no one has been arrested or charged at this point.

A Department of Education spokesman said they were aware of the incident.

“The incident has been managed in line with the school’s Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students, with appropriate disciplinary consequences being applied,” he said. “No further details can be provided due to student privacy issues.”