‘BOY OF 11’ WIELDING 8in BLADE IN STREET
A HORRIFIED mother who saw a child brandishing an 8in kitchen knife claims police said it was ‘no threat’ and refused to come.
Gemma Fountain, 38, took a photo of the boy, who was out with a group of youngsters, in Eastbourne, East Sussex, at the weekend. She watched as the child, believed to be aged 11, stabbed the blade into a tree stump and ran off to a park.
The mother- of- one claims when a neighbour called Sussex Police and asked them to attend the scene they were left on hold for 40 minutes.
Mrs Fountain said: ‘I saw the group outside my house and they were close to my car so I went and checked. That’s when I noticed the knife. I quickly got my phone and took pictures.
‘They were young and I don’t think they were going to do anything.’ She added that they looked ‘ nervous when they caught someone at the window’ and ran off, leaving the knife.
‘I was a bit jelly-legged, I must admit, going out to grab it, but I think it was because I was shocked. It’s a nice neighbourhood and I just didn’t expect to see that.’
While police did not turn up following the incident, Mrs Fountain saw some officers attending another call later on and confronted them.
‘They seemed shocked that no one had been round already, especially when I told them I had the knife inside,’ she said. ‘When they saw the size of it, they looked mortified.
‘You’d think with all the stuff going on at the minute they would be straight round. The children were still in the park when we got through to the police. They could have spoken to them straight away.’
Sussex Police said they were now investigating and have contacted the parents of the children involved.
A spokesman said: ‘ As the knife was in safe-keeping, there was no indication that the boys were still in the area and no threats had been made, arrangements were made to collect the knife in due course.
‘It was picked up by an officer later that evening who was attending an unrelated incident in the area. Police have now identified all of the boys in the photo and are speaking to them and their parents.’