A 10-year-old autistic boy has been left too terrified to go out and play after he was targeted by five older boys who forced him to ‘lick their shoes clean’.

April England said son Logan was cornered by the teenagers while out with friends at Chestnut Park near their home in Wonford, Devon, after school last Monday, June 6.

She described how she had only just started letting him out again following a similar incident two weeks earlier when he was pushed into a stream.

The mum-of-five said: ‘Logan was told to lick their shoes clean. They said if he didn’t they would beat him up, starting with a kick in the face.

‘Obviously he did it because he didn’t want to get beaten up.

‘He had to do it to all the boys and then he managed to get away and ran back home. It was horrible when he told me what happened to him. Logan is now not wanting to go out far from home.’

April, 30, said that although Logan ‘is quite intelligent, he is not good socially’ and finds it ‘extremely difficult’ to make friends.

She added: ‘The bullies would have noticed there is something slightly different about him as he’s not very socially switched on. I think they took advantage of that.’

The worried mum said she hasn’t reported the incident to police because ‘part of Logan’s autism means he wouldn’t be able to describe or recognise who they were’.

April hopes to raise awareness of increasing incidents of bullying and threats of violence in the local area to residents of all ages – and even claims she is still a victim of bullying.

She admitted: ‘I just don’t feel safe allowing the kids to have a bit of freedom with friends.

‘It would be just awful if they were beat up and would be so dangerous for my daughter to come to harm as she has a heart condition.

‘These teenagers need a curfew and there needs to be more police in the parks and CCTV.

‘Teens think and know they can get away with this. I am just so worried to let my children out in case anything happens to them.’

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