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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how one kid can trap another in a corner with a BB gun for three hours without the parents noticing

99 replies

ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:27

Today DS went to a friends house around the corner to play, he forgot to take his phone but as I thought I knew where he was and thought he was safe, I didn't panic. When an hour and a half had gone by I was expecting him to check in and after two hours I started to panic and we started looking for him. We couldn't find him anywhere, just as I was about to call the police he arrived back home and I found out that he and his friend had called in on a friend from school on their way back and a teenage kid had been firing at him from an upstairs flat with a BB gun and had trapped him behind a trampoline, threatening to shoot him. He's only eleven ... he was there for three hours and was so terrified he literally crapped himself.

I'm furious, how can something like that happen? If parents know their kids and another kid are playing together in the garden, you'd think they'd check on them from time to time to make sure they were ok. I'm sure that's not an unreasonable expectation.

DS doesn't want to take it any further as the kid was told off. Not a hope. First thing tomorrow I'm going around there to find out the name of the kid and I'm having him arrested. And I will be pressing charges.

OP posts:
louloudia · 02/04/2011 22:28

poor little sod :(

hecate · 02/04/2011 22:29

Why the hell are you waiting until tomorrow? I'd be on to the police tonight.

Happymm · 02/04/2011 22:31

What hectate said :(

worraliberty · 02/04/2011 22:31

Were all 3 kids trapped behind the trampoline?

I mean your son, his friend and the friend they called in on?

BlueAmy · 02/04/2011 22:32

Bloody hell! Call the police now. This can't wait. Poor DS. :(

browneyesblue · 02/04/2011 22:33

Your poor DS. I agree with hecate - you should be calling the police now! You don't need to know the child's name - the police can find that out.

TheCrackFox · 02/04/2011 22:34

Oh, your poor son, it sounds absolutely terrifying.

TBH the police need to be involved and pronto as this teenager sounds like a psychopath in the making. Seriously, this is far, far from normal behaviour.

abbierhodes · 02/04/2011 22:36

YANBU. I'd call the ploice now as well. Your poor son! Where were his mates?

abbierhodes · 02/04/2011 22:36

The police, not the ploice, obviously.

worraliberty · 02/04/2011 22:37

I don't really understand the OP fully (bit slow tonight!)

Where were the kids on their way back from when they called into their school friends house? Were all 3 kids trapped behind the trampoline for 3hrs, and are you sure the child's parents were even home at the time?

Niceguy2 · 02/04/2011 22:39

How old is your DS and friend? Was DS the only one trapped or were they all there?

Ripeberry · 02/04/2011 22:39

Do you know who the gun person was? Call the police now. We've had a mad teenager around here threatening people with an airgun. They soon sorted him out!

Original poster
ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:39

I'm waiting until tomorrow because the kid doesn't live there - he was visiting another kid in the flat upstairs and DS doesn't know his name, so I'd have to drag him back around there, which I'm not prepared to do tonight ... he didn't get home until after eight and he was really traumatised. Even after we'd got him cleaned up and he'd had a bath, he was still a wreck and he's exhausted. I felt it was better to just call him a pizza and be there for him tonight, then unleash the dogs of war (so to speak) tomorrow. Much as I want the kid punished, making sure DS is ok and can get to sleep tonight's my priority right now.

I'm going to find out why the other kids didn't get an adult to intervene tomorrow. Grrr.

OP posts:
pippala · 02/04/2011 22:43

My son was shot in the back with a BBgun when he was walking down the high street.
Along with his friend, shot above the eye and a lady in her 70's in the thigh.
The culprit shot them from a flat above the butchers shop.
Armed police stormed the flat and he gave himself up. He was 17 and high on drugs, known druggie to the police.
He had to pay each of his victims £75.00 compo and got a suspened sentance.
So don't hold your breath that justice will be done!

Original poster
ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:45

I agree, it takes a certain kind of person to do something like that to another kid. If it wasn't 10pm by the time I managed to calm DS down, or if it had happened at the house of one of the friends I knew I'd have called the police already, but as it is I don't know the kids name, I don't know the address where it happened (DS was so in shock it took him ages to be able to tell me how old the kid was, or what time he got there), so there isn't much I could tell them.

First thing tomorrow I'll be calling the police and the duty social worker though.

@worraliberty - DS was on his way home with a friend, they stopped at another friends house on the way back ... the parents were definitely home. DS said the mum was in the bath, which explains why they might not have noticed immediately, but I doubt she was in the bath for the whole three hours!

@niceguy - DS and his friend are eleven

OP posts:
browneyesblue · 02/04/2011 22:46

I can understand you wanting to let your son rest - I really hope he is okay. What an awful thing to have happened.

You really should call the police straight away though. You do not need to go round there or find out the teenager's name though - that is what the police will do. In fact, it's better if you stay out of it and let them handle things.

Also, the sooner the police are involved, the less time the guilty party has to come up with an excuse/alibi.

I really hope your DS is okay

GypsyMoth · 02/04/2011 22:46

thats horrific,your poor ds!

Original poster
ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:48

Oh my god Pippala, that's insane!

If I so much as hear about this kid holding a BB gun again I'll send my dad around to put the fear of god into his parents.

OP posts:
pooka · 02/04/2011 22:49

I agree with other posters saying sooner rather than later for calling police.

Original poster
ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:51

Good point Browneyes, I'll give them a call now. If they need a statement from DS they might be able to wait until tomorrow.

OP posts:
LoopyLoopsChupaChups · 02/04/2011 22:52

I agree with browneyeblue's post. I think you should call the non-emergency police number now, so they can arrange a time for you to take DS to show them where it happened. You do need to report it now, I think.

Also, have you spoken to the parents of the friend? I'm confused too about a couple of things - where were the two friends while this happened, and was the boy shooting related to the second friend?

I'm not surprised you're livid at all. Hope he's OK. :)

Original poster
ElenStone · 02/04/2011 22:56

Got the number, I'm going to give them a call now.

I haven't spoken to the parents, the road this kid lives on is a pretty dodgy one .. the last time I went around to speak to a parent there, her partner threatened to shoot me, so I really didn't want to take DS around there on my own. I'll speak to them tomorrow though.

Apparently his two friends had gone elsewhere to play Britains Got Talent. The boy shooting was visiting a friend in a different flat, so no .. not related.

He seems like he'll be fine, I'm just concerned, I know the effects stuff like this can have on kids.

OP posts:
weedle · 02/04/2011 23:00

What a horrible thing to have happen! I'm furious on your Ds's behalf, so glad you're phoning the police. Please keep us updated. It's rare I get so annoyed with things on here but that's fucking hideous

geraldinetheluckygoat · 02/04/2011 23:04

god that's awful. Poor DS I hope he feels better tomorrow. What a little shit.

worraliberty · 02/04/2011 23:05

Oh I see..sorry I'm a bit thick tonight Blush

I didn't get the time frame is all. If the played at his friends and then got trapped for 3hrs on the way home, he must have been gone for ages. I don't blame you for being frantic Sad

Still, it might be best to speak to him in the morning and find out these things as the police will want to know...

  1. The name of the boy whose house it was

  2. Why the boys went off to play Britains got talent and left him alone in someone elses garden. What did they expect him to do alone?

  3. Why in 3 hrs he couldn't have alerted the parents that he was trapped in their garden.

I appreciate he's obviously in shock (what child wouldn't be?) but if you don't mind me saying...there's something quite odd about the whole thing.

I'm sure it'll all come to light tomorrow when you speak to them all.