Teen’s face slashed by fellow pupil in canteen at school
Schoolboy held after 14-year-old is attacked in front of his friends
THE sister of a 14-year-old boy who had his face slashed in a school canteen has told of her horror.
The girl spoke out after the sickening attack on her teenage brother at a secondary school West Lothian.
She wrote on social media: “My little brother went to school today and someone brought out a knife and slashed him. What’s wrong with some people?”
Police detained another male pupil in connection with the incident, which took place shortly before 9am as dozens of kids mingled in the canteen.
The Daily Record is unable to name the school for legal reasons.
The young victim – who cannot be named – was rushed to St John’s Hospital in Livingston in an ambulance. He was treated for a serious facial injury.
It is understood that parents were alerted to the incident via text message about two hours after it happened.
A picture of the boy’s horrific injuries was circulated on messaging app Snapchat yesterday.
The victim’s friends and other pupils told of their shock and anger on social media.
One wrote: “What p **** s me off the most is the teachers are nowhere to be seen and it took them ages to realise.”
Another said: “Imagine bringing a knife to school and slashing someone who’s been nothing but sound to you.”
A third added: “What goes through some folks’ heeds?”
And another wrote: “Just goes to show how s*** a school this is, letting things go as far as someone bringing a knife in.”
Furious parents and local people voiced their concerns, and many called for harsher sentences for knife crime.
Laura Turnbull wrote: “OMG poor boy. The criminal justice service need to get much harder on the carrying of a knife and using them to kill or harm anyone. Harder and longer sentences, not a b **** y holiday camp for them. No wonder this is happening – so many lives lost through knife crime.
“If caught with a knife, should be jail time. Prevent not deal with the aftermath of someone’s actions.”
Gary Fulton added: “These crimes are happening because the police do their part in getting the thugs to court but the judges let them go with stupid sentences.”
A 13-year-old was last night charged with serious assault.
A police spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a school in West Lothian around 8.55am on Friday after a 14-yearold boy sustained a serious facial injury.
“He has been taken to St John’s Hospital for treatment and a teenage boy is currently detained by officers in connection with this. Inquiries into this incident are ongoing.”
Bailey Gwynne, 16, was fatally stabbed by fellow pupil Daniel Stroud during a fight at Cults Academy in Aberdeen in October 2015.
Stroud, now 18, was caged for nine years.