Londonderry: Autistic boy punched and kicked in sectarian attack

Police said the group ran off towards Bishop Street after the assault

An autistic boy punched and kicked in a sectarian assault in Londonderry was unable to cry out for help as he was being beaten, his mother says.

The 12-year-old was kicked on the leg and punched in the face during an attack near the city's walls, in the Fountain area, at about 13:10 BST on Monday.

Three teenage boys and a teenage girl are believed to have been involved.

His mum Samantha said her son Alexander did not realise he had been punched.

PSNI Insp Michael Gahan described the attack as a "nasty assault which has left the victim understandably distressed".

"This assault is being investigated as a sectarian hate crime," he added.

Police said the boy was treated in hospital for injuries which included a concussion.

'His head hit the walls'

"He doesn't feel pain. His understanding of what happened is very limited," Samantha told BBC News NI.

She said Alexander had been playing cricket all morning with his friends and had been waiting for another boy outside his home in the Fountain when he was approached by the teenagers.

Samantha said the attack has left her son nervous about going outside again

"They asked him what football team he supported. That's when he was punched the first time.

"He was punched again, and his head hit the walls, a woman who was out in her garden came running and shouting. They hit him a third time before they ran off," she said.

"Alexander didn't fully understand what had happened and went back to playing cricket. It was only that another lady told me what had happened that I went and got him," Samantha said.

"His eye was swollen, he started to cry, but he wasn't quite able to tell me what had happened," she said.

Three hours after the attack, Alexander started to feel dizzy and nauseous and was taken to hospital.

The attack has left her "very angry and upset".

"No mother should feel the way this has made me feel. Thankfully he is doing a bit better now but he is little nervous about going out," she said.

'No place in Derry'

Derry's Mayor Sandra Duffy condemned the "brutal and disgraceful" attack.

"Our children, like everyone in society, should be able to live and play free from any fear of intimidation".

Ulster Unionist Party councillor Darren Guy said the sectarian nature of the attack was concerning.

"Sectarianism is wrong at all times," he said.

"This sectarianism, by kids who were not even born during the Troubles, needs to be eradicated from our society."

The SDLP leader and Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said sectarianism has "no place in Derry and Northern Ireland".

"Our young people should not live in fear in their own city, and I hope the boy who was attacked is feeling better soon," he said.

Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward.