A female thief who robbed a young Tayside guiser on Halloween has been described as ”the lowest of the low”.
The woman leapt from a car in Blairgowrie to smack an 11-year-old boy in the face and steal his sweets.
Her actions have been met with revulsion in the town .
One Blairgowrie parent, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ”I can’t believe someone could be so cruel especially to children who were guising. This is the lowest of the low.
”What is society coming to when a thug steals sweets from kids out guising on Halloween?”
The assault took place at around 8.20pm in the Park Neuk/Harriet Row area of Blairgowrie on Wednesday, as five pals from Hillview Primary School took part in some traditional spooky excitement.
The female responsible was aged about 16 or 17.
She made off in a dark-coloured car after stealing an orange pumpkin containing sweets and a small amount of money.
The boy did not require medical attention but he and his friends all 11 years old were said to be extremely upset.
Yesterday, police, local residents and politicians all expressed their shock and anger at the theft.
Perthshire North MSP John Swinney was ”deeply disturbed” by the assault.
He said: ”This is a great tradition and time of year for youngsters and neither they nor their parents should have to fear this type of incident.”
Superintendent Jim Leslie, of Tayside Police, said he is ”extremely keen” to identify the people responsible for the crime.
”The fact that somebody thought it was a good idea to assault a young boy for a handful of sweets is, quite frankly, disgraceful,” he said.
”The group of boys have been shaken by their experience as have their families and I have no doubt that the public will be keen to see this crime detected.
Local councillor Caroline Shiers said: ”This is a really shocking incident and I hope the police manage to track down the culprits and ensure they are charged.
”Halloween is a great fun night for children and I know that many local children were out guising in the Blairgowrie area.”
Councillor Shiers added: ”We expect our children to be safe in quiet residential areas and not subjected to incidents such as this.”
The family of the assaulted boy was too upset to comment when contacted by The Courier.
Tayside Police are keen to find the female teenager who was a passenger in the vehicle, which was driven by a male.
A police spokesperson said the car was described as a hatchback, possibly a Volkswagen Polo.
The female attacker is described as being aged around 16 or 17. She had long blonde hair in pigtails and was wearing a bright red Adidas top, with Adidas shown on the sleeves and front.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222 or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.