Marco Giulianelli claims his 13-year-old son was assaulted by ’20 to 25 youths’ in a Springfield Park off East Prescot Road
Marco Giulianelli’s son was allegedly assaulted in Springfield Park(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A dad has sent a warning to other parents after his 13-year-old son was allegedly assaulted by a group of youths in a Liverpool park. Marco Giulianelli, 41, from Old Swan, said the incident happened at around 2.30pm on Sunday, March 22, shortly after his son arrived at Springfield Park with friends to play football.
He claims the boys were approached by a group of around 20 to 25 children on bikes, believed to be aged between 10 and 11, who began intimidating them. The situation escalated when one of the youths allegedly told his son: “Get out of my park, it’s my park.”
When the teenager refused, Marco alleges his son was repeatedly slapped in the face before his trousers were pulled down. He described his son as tall for his age, standing nearly 5ft 11in, and a rugby player, but said he “froze” during the confrontation.
Speaking to the ECHO, Marco said: “One of them took their ball and threw it off the pitch. My son didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to make things worse.
“He’s a quiet, sensitive and well-mannered boy. He tried to walk away, but they pulled his trousers down so that he was almost naked in the park. They did that two or three times.”
He further alleges the group surrounded his son and his two friends, slapping and pushing them, making threats to kill them and attempting to steal their phones.
The teenagers eventually managed to escape and head to a friend’s house, but the group is said to have followed him, continuing the abuse until he reached safety.
Marco said the incident has left his son frightened to go out alone: “He keeps telling me he’s fine and doesn’t want to talk about it, but now he’s scared of going out in the street.
Jennifer and Marco Giulianelli whose son was allegedly assaulted in Springfield Park(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“Nothing like this has ever happened to him before.”
Originally from Italy, Marco said he had previously lived in Venezuela before moving to Liverpool in search of a safer life.
He said: “We left because it was a very violent country. I wanted to give my family a better life. Now my son is scared to go outside. It’s frustrating as a dad.”
He has criticised what he describes as a lack of visible policing and youth support, calling for increased patrols and more CCTV in local parks.
He said: “We need to protect our kids. If large groups of children are gathering, there should be checks to prevent this kind of behaviour.”
Antisocial behaviour remains a persistent issue across Merseyside, accounting for nearly one in ten recorded crimes, with around 15,000 incidents reported annually.
Superintendent Kris Le Poidevin said: “We can confirm we received a report that a 13-year-old boy had been assaulted by a group of youths in Springfield Park on Sunday 22 March at around 2.30pm. There were no serious injuries reported but the boy was left understandably distressed by the incident. If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch.
“We are determined to deter young people away from criminality and anti-social behaviour (ASB). We would ask parents and carers to please be mindful of the whereabouts of their children, who they are hanging around with, and to check in with them about their plans. A talk with them today about appropriate behaviour when they’re out could make all the difference and could prevent them from being arrested.
“Tackling youth-related criminality and ASB it is a community priority for our neighbourhood team and we are actively working with key partners, including the council, to look at different measures to prevent this type of activity from happening in the area and other parts of Merseyside.
“If you experience youths carrying out offences or ASB in your area, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can investigate.”
Anyone with information about this incident can call 101 or DM @MerpolCC on social media quoting reference number 26000230086. You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously In an emergency always call 999.