Son of Syrian refugee stamped on during racist gang attack in Manchester: 'The pain was unbearable'

A 12-year-old boy who stamped on a Muslim schoolboy's head has been threatened with possible jail time if his dangerous behaviour continues. The youth, who cannot be identified because of his age, was tagged at Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court after also "terrorising" a 10-year-old boy with a medical crutch while wearing a face mask as well as causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage after throwing stones at a truck in a building site.

The boy apologised for his recent actions and he was sentenced to an 18-month youth rehabilitation order. He will also be tagged for three months, the Manchester Evening News reported.

The court heard that the boy, who is from northern Manchester, hadn't been in education for 18 months after being expelled from several schools.

He pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage, affray, and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.

He denied the charge of a racially aggravated assault, but was found guilty after his victim spoke out in court. The 13-year-old spoke about how he was surrounded by a group of six or seven other boys who racially abused him before grabbing and attacking him.

The boy, the son of a Syrian refugee, said: "It felt like I had been stamped on by someone really hard. The stamp made me fall back to the floor and then I felt kicks and stamps all over my head.

"The pain was unbearable. I just wanted them to stop. They all just attacked me at once. I was so upset I started to cry." The attack, which the boy said made him feel like a "second class" citizen as a Muslim, prevented him from celebrating Eid with his family because he was in hospital.