To have called the police? Am RAGING.

[tethersphotofinish]

I was on the way back from the park when I saw three men outside the park gates having what I thought to be a fight.

As we got closer, it became apparent that they were not three men at all, they were two men and a boy of about 14. The boy almost definitely had autism.

These two grown men were hitting this boy, who was clearly becoming very distressed and was lashing out at them. They hit him again an shouted at him; at this point, I started to walk over. They PUSHED him across the road and walked off down the road still hitting the boy. At one point, one of the men got his face right in the boy's face and gestured as if to say 'come on then', whilst the other one hit him over the head with a rolled up newspaper. The boy just walked along with them.

Had I not had DD and the baby with me, I would have followed them, but they were walking fast and I couldn't catch them. So I called the police.

WIBU?

Just called 101 to check if the police caught up with them- they didn't

I wish I could have caught up with them.

I hope I see them again.

Well done for calling the police. No YANBU. Hope they got there in time. Have you heard anything?

Oh, just saw your post. They didn't

I thought they might too, Tough- they told me they had nothing to go on, so couldn't act. Just told me to look out for them and get as much info as possible if I saw them again.

I can't believe the fuckers have got away with it.

you did the right thing. well done. everybody needs to be more like you.

I'm so, so, angry.

Oh that's heartbreaking.

You did the right thing definitely. How bloody frustrating.

have you spoken to the community police officer from your area? if not, you could try making contact, saying that you know there wasn't much to go on but you're still worried about what you saw. its possible a community officer would be aware of a young boy with a disability who is out and about on his own, in a positive 'keep your eyes open for' way.

lovebunny, that's a great idea. Thanks.

i would maybe be a little bit sneaky and use the description of the victim to find his whereabouts, as in 'a young vulnerable man in need' and not mention the reason for your call until they'd tried to find out who he was

did you have a mobile on you? ? if you see them again whip it out and take a video / photo.

OP, you need to report it to your local council's Learning Disability Partnership tomorrow. They will have a safeguarding lead whose job is to investigate matters that involve the wellbeing of vulnerable adults. Based on your location and description, they should be able to identify the lad and look into it further.

yanbu

its crap like this that means i cant let my dc's play out unattended or even walk to the local shop alone

Oh that's awful they didn't catch up with them :( But I'm so glad you called. I called 999 once because a group of teenagers were harassing an old man who'd missed the last bus; he seemed disoriented and was getting more and more upset. I figured if that were my granddad, I'd want someone to call the police for him - somewhere, there's someone who loves that boy who'd be pleased you called the police if they knew.

I am glad you at least reported them. It will build up a profile!!

SS? Are there any SN schools in your area where the boy may be known? Any clubs or anything at or near the park? Did the boy have a team strip or similar on? Can you go now and write down everything you remember about their physical description (but particularly the boy). Autism isn't that common so the boy will be known to someone, somewhere and maybe there's a wee hook somewhere in your memory that will help you identify him?

(sorry if I sound pushy. My boy has ASD and you have just described my recurring nightmare. Thanks for calling the police )

good idea wilson. also lots of autistic kids are in main stream schools. if this was my kid i would be so pleased that other people would be trying to track him down

Will have a look into the LD partnership tomorrow, fuzzy, thanks.

I spoke to the CP team, and they said there was nothing they could do without any identifying information; I knew this but was kind of clutching at straws. There are no SN schools nearby. I suspect that this may have been holiday 'care' of some sort. It's fucking disgusting.

Thank you all for advice and letting me rant. The rage is still going.

Are you OK tethers? You did the right thing.

Poor boy

The boy was quite severely autistic, to the extent that I very much doubt that he would be at a mainstream school. The fact that he was out with two adults suggests that he may be prone to violent behaviour, which would make a mainstream school placement unlikely.

Gah. Not really, usual. It really upset me. If I hadn't had the girls with me I could have caught them up and challenged them

Thanks.

Could you name change and leave a post on MN local with the where and when? Also on the SN boards? The name of the park/city/ time may be enough for someone....

I hope you are ok. I think you're brilliant.

Is there a supported living home nearby? or a day center he might have come from?

He was too young for supported living, but I will check the day centres and SN playschemes tomorrow.