Gwent Police have launched an investigation after a 11-year-old boy had his finger amputated following an incident at a school in Abertillery in South Wales.
Shantal Bailey, mother of Raheem Bailey, aged 11 years-old said the following on Facebook:
“My 11 year old son, Raheem Bailey, has faced racial and physical abuse, as well as more generic bullying about his height among other things, since he started Abertillery learning community in September 2021. Although he had mentioned a few incidents of people being ‘mean to him’ recently, I did not realise the extent of what he was going through until an incident this week.
“On Monday, Raheem called me in tears whilst I was at work, saying that he’s being bullied and that the teacher threatened him with detention despite him being the one that’s getting picked on. After work I attended the school and informed them that all this needed to stop. I was then reassured that everything would be handled by the Tuesday morning.
“On Tuesday morning break time, Raheem was attacked and beaten by a group of children whilst in school. He was pushed to the ground and then repeatedly kicked.
“Consequently, Raheem made a desperate attempt to leave the school grounds in order to escape the situation. I received a phone call from Raheem and then the school informing me of the incident. The school told me that the ambulance wouldn’t arrive for 2 hours, but advised me not to drive Raheem to A&E myself. Raheem, his baby brother and I were taken to a minor injuries unit by the school bus, despite them knowing that his injury was severe.
“We spent the next five hours waiting for an ambulance to transfer us to the location where he would undergo surgery, in Swansea, 50 miles away from his home and school.
“As time rolled on, it became more apparent that the possibility my son was going to lose his finger was a real one. The doctors then confirmed this was likely. I had to explain this to him while he sat there in agony. After 6 hours of surgery to save it, which was ultimately unsuccessful, his finger had to be amputated. From the day of the incident until now Abertillery learning community have not reached out to me to check on his well-being. Please share our story.
Gwent Police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident. A spokesperson for Gwent Police said:
Superintendent Vicki Townsend said:
“Our officers are supporting and liaising closely with the family of the young boy who, when leaving the school grounds following the reported assault, received a serious injury to his hand as a result of it being caught in a fence.
“Since we received this report, on Wednesday 18 May, there has been significant interest and coverage of this. I would urge people to think about the impact their social media posts and commentary could have on those affected, as the police investigation continues.
“We’re working closely with the school and officers continue to carry out enquiries in the area.
“Anyone with any information that could help the ongoing police investigation can call us on 101, quoting 2200165495, or direct message us on Facebook or Twitter.”
Abertillery Learning Community Update
Abertillery Learning Community is working with Gwent Police in relation to an ongoing investigation into an alleged assault on the secondary campus.
All campuses at Abertillery Learning Community will be closed tomorrow on health and safety grounds. Learners will access blended learning for Monday, 23rd May.
The safety and well-being of learners and staff remains of paramount importance to the Learning Community and the Local Authority at all times.
GoFundMe page raises £90,000 for 11-year-old who had finger amputated after incident at school:
“Hello. My name is Shantal Bailey and I’m fundraising to get my 11 year old son, Raheem Bailey, a Prosthetic finger and any additional cost to get him on the road to recovery.Â
“Raheem has faced racial and physical abuse, as well as more generic bullying about his height and other things, since he started secondary school in September 2021. Although he had mentioned a few incidents of people being ‘mean to him’ recently, I did not realise the extent of what he was going through until an incident this week.
“On Tuesday, Raheem was attacked by a group of children and beaten (mainly kicked) after being pushed to the ground.
“Consequently, Raheem made a desperate attempt to leave the school grounds in order to escape the situation.
“Whilst climbing the fence, his finger got caught and attached to it, causing the skin to strip and the finger to break in half it. After 6 hours of surgery to save it, which was ultimately unsuccessful, his finger had to be amputated.
“I would really appreciate if you could help in any way to get him a personalise prosthetic finger and any additional cost to get him on the road to recovery.”
