A mother from Robertsbridge, East Sussex, has taken to a local community Facebook group to warn other parents after her son was reportedly attacked by a group of children at the village park.
Jerry Leigh Denny shared the alarming incident, stating that a video of the attack had been sent to her and that despite showing it to the parents of the children involved, at least one mother flatly refused to acknowledge her child had done anything wrong.
The post, shared in the Robertsbridge Family Info group, quickly drew concern and anger from residents who rallied around the family and called for stronger action against the bullying behaviour.
“My son was attacked yesterday,” Denny wrote. “If you have a child who goes down to the park there are some children who think it is acceptable to gang up and hurt other children there. I spoke to the parents of the children and showed them the video. One of them claims her child has done nothing wrong. Absolutely disgusting.”
The boy at the centre of the incident, named as Ted by several commenters, was said to be doing okay following the attack, though the incident has clearly shaken the family and the wider community.
Community Rallies Behind the Family
Responses to the post were swift and sympathetic. Resident Leah Hammond offered a free farm visit for Ted to help lift his spirits.
“As a mother this is my worst nightmare,” Hammond wrote. “Please message me and we can sort some animal time for him if that is something he would like.”
Georgie Beale expressed her own fears as a parent, saying she would be mortified if her child ever behaved that way.
Wendy Wares sent her support, writing that she could not imagine how the family was feeling. Becky Hardy and Aby Lee Reed also checked in to ask after Ted, with Reed noting there were some nasty children around.
Emma Patten pointed out that the situation was unlikely to change without parental accountability.
“The children in question have no hope with parents like that. This is why it keeps happening. It is not the first time and most likely will not be the last. You can tell the mother till you are blue in the face even with video evidence and she will still deny it.”
Residents Urge Police Action
Several community members pushed for the matter to be reported to the police, arguing that a visit from officers might prompt the parents to take the situation more seriously than they appeared to.
Dave Bartlett suggested,
“Have you informed the police? Maybe if the police turned up at the door the parents may realise that the child has done something wrong.”
Lyn Meadows backed that view, warning that unchecked behaviour at this age often escalates. Ceejay Sargent echoed the call, stressing the importance of reporting given the parents’ refusal to accept responsibility.
Janet Pitts said she never expected to see problems like this in such a small village, while Rupert Newcomb called the footage shocking and urged Denny to share it so locals could keep a watchful eye out.
Comments on the post were later turned off by a group admin.
