A mother has expressed her disgust after her son was identified as one of the attackers in a sickening video of extreme bullying at a Perth secondary school.
The clip, which has been shared on social media, shows a first year pupil being assaulted by a group of older children.
The young victim, aged 12, is seen being pushed, grabbed, thrown on to the ground and kicked, while several other boys stand around and laugh. At least one of his attackers is 16.
Several boys have been excluded following the incident, including those who used their phones to film the attack.
The assault appears to be broken up by an adult at the end of the clip.
It happened in the grounds of Perth Academy on Thursday lunchtime, although the main attackers were from Perth High.
A mum of one of the boys said to be involved took to Facebook to express her own anger at what he is alleged to have done.
The woman posted: “I don’t feel any better. I’m really sorry. It’s such a shame on the guy. What my son did it’s disgusting. I’m really sorry.
“All of us were really schoked (sic) and upset. We try to give him the best education but we don’t know what happened with him, I didn’t recognise him.
“I never expected this. We are really sorry. Sorry to the family.”
A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed the matter has been reported and an investigation is under way.
Officers are expected to speak to the parents of S4 and S5 pupils from Perth High who were identified in the 10-second clip.
The mother of one of the gang expressed her remorse on social media. She said she did not recognise her son and said what he had done had disgusted her.
The family of the victim declined to speak publicly. A friend said the youngster was taken to hospital after the attack, with several injuries, but was able to return to school the following day.
She said: “He didn’t even know who the boys were and hadn’t met them before.
“Some of those involved were from Perth Academy, but it happened when pupils from Perth High entered the grounds at lunchtime.”
It is understood as a result of the incident, police will be bringing their One Punch initiative to the school. The campaign, which was launched at Christmas and was mainly aimed at young men, highlights the dangers and potentially devastating consequences of fighting.
In Scotland, between April 2017 and March 2018, six people died as a result of a single punch. Many more suffered long-term injuries.
The incident at Perth Academy comes just weeks after a sick Instagram page emerged, showing fights between schoolchildren at local schools.
The page, called Perth and Kinross scraps, was removed after amassing 260 followers.
