Bullies leave autistic boy with block of wood nailed to his head
A-NINE-YEAR- OLD autistic boy was left with a nail lodged in his head after bullies threw a block of wood at him.
Romeo Smith was rushed to hospital by his parents and had to wait in A&E with the block still attached to his skull.
Doctors had to remove the nail, which they say was left with a bend after entering his head.
The horrific incident happened as the family, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, walked home from the boy’s grandmother’s home.
He was lagging slightly behind his parents, which his mother Natasha said was ‘usual’ due to his autism.
But when they arrived home on Sunday they discovered Romeo was no longer with them and Natasha’s husband, Craig, 35, went back to look for him. He discovered Romeo trapped up a tree – with three boys brandishing sticks at him and calling him names.
As Mr Smith approached, Romeo clambered down, but as the pair walked away, one of the boys picked up the block and threw it.
The nail pierced the skin at the back of Romeo’s head and his father scooped him up and ran home to Natasha, who is a nurse. Not wanting to remove the nail for fear of causing further injuries, they rushed him to hospital.
Doctors gave Romeo morphine to remove the nail. Speaking after his recovery, Romeo said: ‘It was a very scary experience. When they threw the plank I could feel it stick in the back of my head.
‘That was the scariest part, I couldn’t see it because of where it was but I knew it was there, it made me very scared.
‘ I thought the worst and thought that I was dying.’ Mrs Smith, 30, added: ‘It was terri- ble. He was sat there waiting with a plank of wood sticking to his head – like something out of a horror film.
‘He was really affected by what has happened.
‘It is always hard to tell what Romeo is feeling due to his
condition – he does not talk about his feelings. ‘But he was really traumatised at the time – not knowing what was happening and having a plank of wood and a nail sticking to his head.’ He is now bandaged and recovering on a course of antibiotics at home with his parents and their three other children. Mrs Smith added: ‘It is horrible because these three boys been during were knockingthe his summer. friends round andfor himhad
‘They are a couple of years older than him and probably found him vulnerable and an easy target.
‘I have no idea how long the bullying has been going on but it is worrying that they have done this in front of an adult.
‘You wonder what else they are capable of.
‘People need to think before they do things, it could have been a lot worse.’
Natasha said Romeo was now back to his normal self but she was heartbroken by the longterm effect the attack could have. She said: ‘With autism everything is heightened so he was very anxious about it.
‘It also really scared my other children who were upset at seeing Romeo hurt like this.
‘We do not want these boys in trouble with the law because they are just kids.
‘But something needs to be done – this is an example of how boredom during the summer holidays can go a bit far.’
A Nottinghamshire Police spokesman said: ‘We are continuing to engage with the victim’s family, working with them to offer a resolution that they are satisfied with. This is being reviewed by the Youth Offending Team with a consideration to being dealt with via the Restorative Justice route.’
‘Like something from horror film’