Abbie Jarvis, then aged 12, was beaten unconscious after she was lured to a skatepark in Glasgow in October 2022.
Abbie was in hospital for several days after the beating in October 2022
The mum of an autistic teen who was battered unconscious at a skatepark has shared a harrowing image of her daughter on her hospital bed after her attacker walked free from court.
Angela Jarvis, 45, has slammed the justice system for “failing” her daughter Abbie – who was just 12 years old when she was brutally beaten in the violent incident in October 22.
Angela believes her 16-year-old attacker – who we can not name for legal reasons – should have been locked up after she was convicted of a series of assaults on Abbie, as well as six other kids within an eight month period, at Dumbarton sherif court in April.
But when sentencing took place last week, the mum was shocked to hear that the teenage brute had simply been referred back to the children’s reporter.
Abbie in hospital after her attack(Image: Daily Record)
Speaking to the Record, Angela said: “I have shared the image of Abbie in hospital so that everyone can see the consequences of this attack.
“I understand that the justice system wants to help young offenders instead of locking them up, but you’ve got to look at the sheer level of violence here.
“How can somebody carry out acts of violence like this, repeatedly, and get away with it?
“It’s clear that this is a very dangerous individual and without a custodial sentence or other serious consequences, I fear she will only graduate into a more serious violent offender. It isn’t safe to have her out in the community.
“She is a danger to other adults and children and it is clear she needs psychological intervention in a setting where she won’t be a danger to others.
“The crimes she has committed warrant a custodial sentence – an adult simply wouldn’t get away with it.
“At the very least, I would expect her to be tagged so authorities know where she is at all times.
“Abbie and the other victims have been badly let down by the youth justice system. We went through nearly three years of waiting for justice but we’re back to where we started because this girl was referred to the children’s reporter after she was arrested.”
The then 12-year-old had to have a gash in her head glued back together(Image: Daily Record)
Abbie’s attacker was 14 at the time she set upon Abbie after luring her to the skatepark in Drumchapel nearly three years ago. The terrifying incident saw Abbie suffer multiple blows and kicks to her head and body before she was eventually knocked unconscious.
Around 10 onlookers filmed the sickening scene before uploading the video to social media. Abbie, now 14, had to spend several days in hospital and was treated for a deep gash to her head that had to be glued together.
She has suffered from PTSD since the incident.
Abbie pictured with her mum a week after the attack(Image: Daily Record)
Mum-of-four Angela says the incident has had a profound impact on her daughter’s day-to-day life as she struggles to leave the house and experiences intense flashbacks and nightmares.
Abbie and Angela outside St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh(Image: Daily Record)
She continued: “Abbie has been left with the consequences of her attack, yet this girl yet she gets to walk free while my daughter lives in fear every single day.
“We won’t get the closure we need to move on now her attacker’s sentence sends a bold message to others – you can beat another kid black and blue but unless you’ve murdered them, you’ll walk free.”
The Record’s Our Kids … Our Future campaign
Abbie’s horrific ordeal has been highlighted as part of the Record’s Our Kids … Our Future campaign, which was launched two years ago in response to a concerning series of attacks on teens across the country. As part of the campaign, we have been demanding the government to tackle youth violence by ensuring kids have safe spaces to go to in every community.
We’ve also demanded social media giants to remove violent clips of teens from platforms before they go viral.
Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill called on the authorities to “get their heads together” and make a final decision on the care of the young offender. He added that “sending reports back and forth” between the Procurator Fiscal and children’s panel was “serving nobody any good”.
Former Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill(Image: Getty Images)
He said: “I have got a great deal of sympathy for Abbie’s mum. Equally, we are aware that young offender’s institutes can become academies of crime.
“Therefore, I can see the logic of trying to avoid giving the young person a custodial sentence. Undoubtedly, this is a challenging child who is a danger to others.
“In this case, the offender does seem to have been put from pillar to post whereby she has been referred to the children’s panel again after sentencing. The issue of whatever is causing this child to misbehave in the manner that she is, is not being addressed.
“It’s time the authorities got their heads together and took action to ensure that the care that is necessary – and if that has to be secure for the safety of others – is carried out. Simply sending reports back and forth between the children’s reporter and Procurator Fiscal is serving nobody any good.”
The Record approached the Crown Office and the Scottish Government for comment.