Youth’s head split open in bat attack

Gang of 10 strike outside school gates

A TEENAGER is recovering after being attacked with a baseball bat and machete by a gang of 10 outside the gates of two Camden secondary schools.
In a brutal assault that bears disturbing parallels to the knife murder earlier this month of Kentish Town youth Tommy Winston, an 18-year-old A-level pupil at Camden’s La Swap sixth form consortium had his head split open with the bat and his legs lacerated from repeated machete blows in a horrific attack.
He was treated and released from the Royal Free Hospital after the attack on Hampstead Heath, near William Ellis and Parliament Hill schools in Highgate Road, at 3pm on Tuesday.
One of around 30 youths believed to have witnessed the assault told the New Journal: “I heard one of the attackers say: ‘If he’s taken my girlfriend I’m going to take him out’.”
Teachers from William Ellis gave first aid to the youth as he lay bleeding inside the school gates while they waited for police and an ambulance to arrive, but headteacher Michael Shew said the boy had neither been a pupil at his school nor attended any lessons there. La Swap pupils can attend lessons at either of the Highgate Road schools, as well as Acland Burghley and La Sainte Union Schools.
Witnesses said a ‘safer schools’ police officer, normally stationed at the gates at the end of the school day, was not on duty when the attack happened.
Police recovered a baseball bat on Hampstead Heath and arrested two 15-year-olds and two 20-year-olds later on Tuesday.
They have been bailed to return to Holborn Police Station next Thursday.
A Town Hall press official said there was no nominated spokes-man for La Swap and heads of the other schools involved could not be contacted last night.