Police have launched an investigation after an East Kilbride schoolgirl was “viciously” assaulted while walking home from school.
Social media reports suggest the 12-year-old was set upon by a hooded thug near to shops on Westwood Road on Thursday, September 19.
Police confirmed the youngster received hospital treatment for her injuries.
The attack was reportedly filmed mirroring a spate of similar sickening attacks on teenagers in the town in the last year.
As reported by Lanarkshire Live, angry parents whose teenagers have fallen victim to these “horrific” gang attacks – some of which are claimed to have happened on school grounds – are demanding authorities act before someone is killed.
A petition was launched earlier this year pleading for “immediate action” following “appalling” violent gang attacks around the town centre, in the Village and in an around local high schools.
It is claimed a core group of female youths are attacking random teenagers and sharing vile footage of the attacks on social media ‘for likes’.
Facebook group EK Victims of Teen Violence was set up by local mum Sharon Bavaird, after her 16-year-old daughter Tanith’s brutal unprovoked attack outside the Dollan Baths last year.
And a GoFundMe page was set up by town centre-based not for profit group Little Brains Wellness Centre to fund personal alarms for local kids which raised hundreds of pounds.
Police told us an investigation into this latest incident is underway.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We were made aware of a 12-year-old female youth having been assaulted in the Westwood Road area of East Kilbride on Thursday, September 19, 2024.
“The girl attended hospital as a precaution.
“Enquiries are ongoing.”
The escalating problem of teen violence in East Kilbride was highlighted in the Scottish Parliament this summer.
The town’s MSP Collette Stevenson MSP asked the cabinet secretary to outline the work that the Scottish Government is taking forward, alongside the police, the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Medics Against Violence and how their expertise can be used in towns such as East Kilbride where police data shows that there has been a significant rise in youth violence – reportedly 25 per cent.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs, Angela Constance, shared Collette Stevenson’s concerns about youth crime and made assurances that Police Scotland was investigating incidents in East Kilbride and has deployed additional patrols to reassure the community.
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