Police are investigating allegations a 10-year-old boy was chased through a coastal village by a motorist by car. Furious mother Charlotte Reffold says police asked her if she would accept a written apology from the man instead of seeing the case go to court.
His son, Riley, claimed he was chased twice by the man and jumped over a garden wall in Morfa Bychan, Gwynedd, to escape, and was too “scared” to leave the house. family home.
Police in North Wales have confirmed that there has been an “incident” in Morfa Bychan and that it is currently “under investigation”. A spokesman was unable to comment “at this stage.”
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Mrs. Reffold of old NorthWalesLive Riley was with three friends on the edge of Porthmadog Golf Course when the man approached them.
“They were just playing, jumping over a stream, like the boys do,” he said. “The man said they were on private land and the boys said it wasn’t their land. Then he grabbed one of them by the shoulder and grabbed his bike, throwing it over a wall. to the road”.
Interrogated by their parents, the boys later admitted that at the time they had called the man a “fart”. He is said to have chased on foot but soon surrendered.
After hiding for a few minutes, the boys retreated to a nearby convenience store. While they were waiting outside, the man approached his car and they fled again.
Unlike Riley, the other boys had bikes and were able to escape, leaving him alone. According to Ms Reffold, who runs an escape room business in nearby Porthmadog, the motorist drove after her son.
Hoping that the driver was not following him, Riley ran into a private gravel road, but claimed the driver was chasing him closely. When he reached the property, he jumped over a low wall to “avoid being hit,” hiding until the man backed out of his car.
The road that 10-year-old Riley claims he and his friends were chased (Image: Google)
When the shore cleared, Riley ran home and told her father, Marvin, what had happened. The factory manager wasn’t sure how much he could believe.
Arriving home from work, Mrs. Reffold drove her son to his car to retrace his steps and check his history. “The guys are full of stories and we wanted to make sure he was telling us the truth,” he said.
“When I got home, I was still shaking and I couldn’t say his words correctly. So we got out of the car. Riley described the car and we were able to locate it on a road.
Mrs. Reffold dialed 999 and gave police the vehicle’s license plate number. The incident was reported to Porthmadog police, who spoke to the motorist before calling the family last Monday.
“They suggested a community resolution order as a way to avoid the court,” he said. “But we heard that the incident justified more than a written apology.”
Since the incident, Riley has not left home but to go to school. All the boys have been questioned by their parents to check their stories.
According to Ms. Reffold, her son is still very “excited” about what happened. “Riley is still shaking and he’s afraid to go out with his friends,” he said.
“In my opinion, the police response was not good enough. They are supposed to protect the children, but he is afraid to leave the house because he doesn’t think the police will help him if he needs them. “
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