A 10-year-old girl had nine braids torn from her scalp during a vicious bullying attack outside her school in Ashford, Surrey, her cousin has revealed. The incident occurred on Monday, February 6, at around 2:30pm, and led to the arrest of two girls, aged 10 and 11.
Ange, the victim's cousin who travelled from Northampton to Ashford after learning of the attack, said the girl is recovering emotionally thanks to a strong support network. “Surprisingly, she is physically unscarred. She's had nine braids ripped out of her scalp and emotionally, she's recovering,” Ange told MyLondon.
Around 100 people gathered outside the school on Wednesday, February 8, to protest the attack and demand answers from teachers. The crowd, predominantly from the Black community and including many who travelled from London, later moved to the neighbourhood where the alleged attackers live in a peaceful demonstration.
Ange said the family has sought safety guarantees from the school. “As a family, we want to know, what are you going to do to protect these children moving forward? Is our child even safe returning to your school? Can she finish her GCSEs?” she asked.
She also claimed her cousin received threatening voice notes prior to the attack after standing up for a friend who was being bullied. “They started sending her voice notes basically being racial, saying they're going to ‘drag her hair out’, 'leave her on the side of the road’ and ‘watch what they're going to do to her’,” Ange said.
