A 12-year-old boy living with autism and Asperger’s Syndrome was pulled from school by his mother after he was beaten and bullied for three months.
Leanne Fernandez, 34, claims her son Harrison was picked on by his peers within hours of starting at Colchester Academy last September.
Mocked for ‘walking, talking, and looking gay’, verbal abuse quickly turned violent as Harrison was pushed around, punched, and put into a headlock.
The frightened boy was singled out from the start, Leanne alleges, and was even once issued the chilling threat: ‘We are going to stamp on your skull.’
Frequently left with a bruised and swollen face, ripped clothes, and bloodied knees, Harrison would come home in floods of tears, his mother says.
Leanne Fernandez claims her son Harrison (pictured with swelling) was picked on by his peers within hours of starting at Colchester Academy last September
After four calls made to police, Leanne decided Harrison was ‘no longer safe’, and withdrew her petrified son from the academy.
Child minder Leanne from Essex said: ‘Obviously it all started off verbally with them saying he was gay, he walked gay, he looked gay, he talked gay.
‘But on the second day, it escalated to physical. They tried “peanut-ing” the tie and it came off and they started pushing him and it continued out of school.
‘He has had orange juice poured down the back of his neck, food taken away from him, had three of them pushing him at one time.’
Jenny Betts, principal at Colchester Academy, said: ‘I cannot comment on individual cases. However, keeping our students safe is our highest priority, which includes dealing swiftly with any incidents of alleged bullying. We follow clear behavioural procedures and use any appropriate sanctions we have available.’
Leanne claims a group of boys targeted Harrison everyday, even waiting to catch him between classes to pounce upon and attack him.
The children made threats, Leanne says. ‘One child threatened him when he saw him and said, “we are looking for you” and said, “we are going to stamp on your skull”. That’s not a normal thing for a 12-year-old to say.’
Mocked for ‘walking, talking, and looking gay’, verbal abuse quickly turned violent as Harrison was pushed around, punched, and put into a headlock
After four calls made to police, Leanne decided Harrison (injuries pictured left and right) was ‘no longer safe’, and withdrew her petrified son from the academy
She continued: ‘It is really upsetting for him. He had just started school and he is asking, “why they have they got a problem with me?”
‘When you go in to school every single day and a number of them are going up to him between classes punching him in the groin. It’s awful.’
Leanne first contacted police on September 5, telling them that on the third day of Year Seven he was physically hurt. She called officers again on September 11, and told them Harrison was beaten by another child.
They were called again for a third incident on September 26 when Harrison was attacked by the gang as she picked him up from school.
Leanne said: ‘He had to go classes five minutes earlier than the others so that he could get there before them or they would punch him in the groin.
‘He would come home and cry and say it’s too much to handle. He just wants to go to school. He’s been beaten to a pulp.’
Leanne (pictured right with Harrison) said: ‘It is really upsetting for him. He had just started school and he is asking, ‘why they have they got a problem with me?”
She continued: ‘He has a doctor’s note to say it’s detrimental effect to be in school.
‘He struggles with himself anyway, so with this he is coming home thinking he’s in trouble, no one likes him and he’s not good enough.
‘He just wants some friends.
Since he came out of the school on November 21, Leanne has fought for him to get into another school. He will be starting at The Philip Morant School next week.
Essex Police said: ‘We received a number of reports reporting a boy had been assaulted. We carried out enquiries and spoke to parties involved.’
A spokesperson added: ‘Words of advice have been given.’