Gang held down boy, 14, while they forced snake to bite him - England

Gang held down boy, 14, while they forced snake to bite him
Helen Nugent

The boy was shown pictures of snakes on a mobile phone to determine if it was poisonous
A teenager required hospital treatment after being attacked by a gang brandishing a snake.

In what police suspect may have been a racist assault, the 14-year-old boy was held down by his attackers in Bristol before one of the group forced a python to sink its fangs into him, leaving him with two deep puncture wounds.

Paramedics identified the type of snake after showing internet pictures to the victim on a mobile phone.

The boy is believed to be of Afro-Caribbean descent. Two other boys aged 16 and 17 were being interviewed by police yesterday about the incident.

A spokesman for Great Western Ambulance service said: “Ambulance staff consulted Google and Bristol Zoo experts after a teenager was attacked by a group of youths brandishing a snake.

“The 14-year-old was bitten on the hand after being pinned against a wall by his attackers in Bradley Stoke on Saturday afternoon. Michael Howells, an incident support officer, added: “In order to try and identify the type of snake, I googled ‘snakes’ on my mobile to show the patient. He was reasonably sure he could identify the type, so I sent the image to our control room.”

Oliver Tovey, the duty control manager, said that a snake expert at Bristol Zoo had told him that the description of the snake indicated it was a type of python, and so not venomous.

The teenager was taken to Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, for a precautionary check.

Mr Howells added: “Although the patient was suffering breathing difficulties after the attack, this was probably due to panic rather than a reaction to the bite — I would probably be panicky if that happened to me.”

Avon and Somerset police last night appealed for witnesses. A spokesman said: “The teenager had been subject to racist comments and then reportedly held down as a snake was held in front of him, which bit his right arm. Experts have confirmed that the snake, described as green-coloured and about four feet long, was not venomous. Police would like to hear from anyone who was in the Merryweather Close at the time of the incident to contact them.”

It is believed that the boy is now back at his home in Bristol.

A 9-year-old boy who had been playing with the victim before the incident said that the attack had been terrifying. The younger boy, who lives near the 14-year-old victim, said: “I was playing in the park with my friends when a group of older boys came up to us with some snakes. They pushed a 4ft-long snake towards [my friend] and it wrapped itself around his arm before biting him.”

The younger boy’s father, who did not wish to be identified, said: “My son was absolutely terrified and I am not letting him play out on his own until police find out exactly what happened.

“I want to know where these young kids got these dangerous snakes from in the first place.”

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