The boys were sitting on their bikes when security guard Lee Wilkinson leaped out his car and began attacking them
The boys were sitting on their bikes when security guard Lee Wilkinson leaped out his car and began attacking them
Two innocent school boys were assaulted by a “bullying” violent security guard who wrongly thought they were thieves. Lee Wilkinson leapt out of a vehicle and set upon the two 13-year-olds who were sitting on their bikes having ridden through a Southport park.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that the incident happened at about 9pm, on October 7 last year, when a comedy festival was taking place in Victoria Park in Southport.
Wilkinson, 39, who was employed to provide security on site, received a report that offenders on bicycles had stolen property from one of the marquees. Judge Menary said that “finger of suspicion” fell on the boys though there was no evidence they had done anything wrong and had merely ridden through the park.
READ MORE: Face of killer teen who shook a defenceless 16-week-old baby to deathREAD MORE: This 20-year-old man made his neighbours’ lives a misery
Wilkinson chased them out of the park and two minutes later while they were sitting on their bikes on Rotten Row he turned up in a black Jeep type vehicle.
Sarah Gruffydd, prosecuting, said that he demanded their bags. She added: “Before they had a chance to respond he grabbed them both around their necks and threw them into her metal gate, causing their heads to smack into the gate.
“He began hitting them and tried to pull the bag off one of them, it was around his neck and began to choke him. The bag then broke, he took the bag and continued to assault both boys before getting back in the car and driving away.”
The frightened victims called their mums and were taken to A&E. One boy suffered a cut above his eye, which later became infected causing his face to swell. He also suffered bruising to his neck, pain in his knees and a chipped tooth.
His friend suffered concussion, a swollen finger and an injury to his jaw which is still causing problems and being treated by Alder Hey Hospital.
Miss Gruffydd said that impact statements from the boys’ mums revealed that one, who suffers from ADHD and autism, now suffers from PTSD and has to be home schooled. The other has also been adversely affected psychologically and is having counselling and rarely goes out.
Judge Andrew Menary, KC, the Recorder of Liverpool told Wilkinson: “It is clear you made no inquiry at all of either of these young men before you went up and simply beat them up, dragging one to the ground and pulling his rucksack off.
”No doubt you believe it contained stolen property. It contained clothing belonging to the boy going to stay at the others’ home. The CCTV is shocking and how you thought you were going to deny assault is surprising indeed.
“Your behaviour was bullying and overbearing with no regard at all for the welfare of these two young people. You cannot have believed they were any real age at all but you behaved in that way.”
Judge Menary said that his “outrageous” behaviour had badly affected the victims psychologically, though a probation report showed that Wilkinson still seemed to think his actions were justified, to which Judge Menary said ” they were not”.
He added: “I don’t accept they have exaggerated the impact on them of what you did to them that night although you were seeking to minimise what you did. “You now appear to accept responsibility and regret for what you did in the cold light of day.”
Wilkinson, of Thornycroft Mews, Leyland, who had initially pleaded not guilty, changed his pleas to guilty to two offences of assault by beating.
Frank Dillon, defending, said that Wilkinson is a family man who has no previous convictions. He was given grounds by others to think they had been involved in stealing which led him to pursue them, he said.
“He now accepts and the footage shows he chose to act first and ask questions later and he accepts his actions were disproportionate.”
Mr Dillon said that previous experiences in his career, including the trauma of seeing someone nearly die, had affected Wilkinson’s thinking. He no longer works in the security industry but is in employment, he added.
Judge Menary imposed a two year community order and ordered him to carry out 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 100 hours unpaid work. He also ordered him to pay each boy £500 compensation.
