PUPIL , 14 , BATTERED & ABUSED ..BECAUSE HE WAS BORN IN POLAND

Suspended teen thug punched younger boy with knuckleduster

A TEENAGER is afraid to return to his high school after being abused and punched with a knuckleduster – for being Polish.

The 14-year-old victim, who has lived in Scotland for 10 years, says the brutal assault was the latest in a long line of racially motivated attacks.

And the slurs he’s subjected to are so commonplace, he’s accepted them as part of life at his Lanarkshire high school.

He said: “I get called a ‘Polish b ****** ’ or ‘Polish c***’ every day by someone at school. They ask, ‘Why don’t you f*** off back to your own country?’

“But as far as I’m concerned Scotland is my country as much as it is theirs.

“I might have a Polish surname and Polish parents but I’ve lived here since I was three.

“I report things but nothing changes. It seems to me I’m expected to accept it.”

The third-year pupil hasn’t been back to school since last week’s attack. The older pupil responsible is understood to have been suspended from school at the time of the incident.

The teenager says he has also received threats on social media and his family are now trying to find another school. His dad said: “It breaks my heart to see my son’s blood spilled in school – a place where he should be safe.

“I have been up to the school before about the abuse my son receives. I’m told it will get sorted out but it never is. ”

The father, who runs a successful business, was also angered by the way he said the school dealt with the assault.

He said: “My son received no medical treatment, no first aid. The school did not call police. They called me and said, ‘Come get your son, he’s been attacked.’”

The school’s head insisted racism had no place in their school, adding: “The pupil has not told us about any racist comments towards him this year. An investigation is under way and we will take all appropriate action.”

A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman said: “An assault took place on Monday, December 4. The victim was taken to the medical room where he received immediate first aid and his parents and the police were contacted.

“As this is being investigated by the police, it would be inappropriate to make any further comment.”