The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Mum’s distress after son (5) is badly bitten inside McDonald’s
Parent’s concern after little Charlie was attacked in fast food restaurant
The mother of a five-yearold boy who was badly bitten while at McDonald’s in Hampton feels he is being failed.
Jessica Collins’ son Charlie (5) was left cut and bloodied after being attacked by an older girl while inside the fast food restaurant on July 26.
And despite calling the police she believes there has been a lack of justice for her son who has been suffering from nightmares and wakes up “screaming, crying and drenched in sweat”.
In a lengthy Facebook post that was shared more than 7,000 times, she wrote: “I’m so angry! I’m so so very upset! How can my child go through this, and yet no one is going to be held responsible? What is this teaching him? Who is protecting him? I’m trying so hard to be understanding to every aspect of the situation, but it just doesn’t seem right.”
She added: “I just feel like Charlie is being failed and I just don’t know what to do?!”
Jessica was with Charlie and her two-year-old daughter Elsie when the attack happened.
Recalling the events, she said Charlie’s hand appeared to be snatched from hers, and when she turned around she saw an older girl, who she believes was 12 or 13, biting as hard as she could on the top of his back, with another woman telling her to stop. The woman, who she believes was the girl’s mum, allegedly said ‘I’m sorry, she’s autistic,’ as the pair of them tried to pull her off Charlie.
Jessica said the girl was “hitting, scratching, biting. Down his back, his bottom, his legs.”
Jessica and Charlie escaped to the disabled toilets where she found blood running down a tearful Charlie’s back.
The family then left McDonald’s despite the girl allegedly trying to get to Charlie again, who was left “completely traumatised”.
Jessica said she empathised with the girl’s mum, but added: “It’s awful having to lay with your sobbing child most nights and seeing such fear and confusion in their eyes!”
A police spokesperson said: “This incident was reported to us and investigated. The family involved have since been identified and we are working with both families to deal appropriately with this matter taking into consideration the sensitivities and needs of the victim and girl.”
After the PT reported this story online is sperked a debate on our Facebook page. One mum posted: “Every child with autism is very different so please don’t stigmatise people who have autism.
“I have two sons who are on the spectrum and have many friends with children on the spectrum and none of them have every done something like this.
Another wrote: “I read this on FB and felt very sad for the little boy, he was completely innocent. I have a child with autism, and I know how completely challenging it can be.
“Some of the comments were hard to read and showed how very little people understand autism. That however does not excuse the fact that a little boy was hurt.
“As a mum, I risk asses everything. And I have strategies in place followed by plan A B and C!
“The main message I want to send is if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person... I hope the little boy recovers quickly, I also hope the girls mum gets any support needed.”