Police are investigating a brutal assault on a schoolboy in a Perthshire town.
The 13-year-old was left with concussion, bruising and a swollen jaw following the attack in Blairgowrie’s Terminus Street.
A passing couple stopped to help the youngster, while a friend used his mobile phone to call the boy’s mother. The victim was taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital for treatment.
It is understood the incident, which happened at lunchtime on Wednesday, was filmed by two people on their mobile phones.
A relative of the Blairgowrie High pupil said he was recovering well.
She said the family had previously reported bullying at the school but were unhappy with the manner in which staff dealt with it.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Around 1.35pm on February 19, police attended a report of an assault on a 13-year-old boy in Terminus Street.
“On arrival they discovered the boy who was complaining of a head injury, and he was taken to Ninewells Hospital as a precaution.
“Inquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.”
The boy’s relative, who asked not to be identified, told The Courier he had been the victim of bullies at the school.
“It has been going on for a long time,” she said. “It got to the point where he was put in a room on his own during break-times, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the bullies outside.
“But that seemed like punishing him for being the victim.”
She said: “He’s doing okay now. One of the pupils he was walking with phoned his mum and she came to be with him while they waited for the ambulance.
“A couple were driving past and pulled over when they saw what was going on. They managed to pull the bully off of him.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesman said: “Children and young people in Perth and Kinross deserve to feel safe and secure at all times.
“We are aware of an incident which took place outwith school premises and have taken appropriate action to ensure our pupils’ wellbeing.”
