A SEVEN-year-old was threatened by a boy with a Swiss Army knife in Southend’s Priory Park, her horrified mum has claimed.
The girl’s mum, a 32-year-old from Southend, claims she was with her daughter in the park on Tuesday when another young boy “pulled out the weapon” and threatened to “stab” the child.
The mum said she had taken her six children and four of their friends to the park when the knifepoint threat allegedly occurred.
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The incident took place at roughly 2pm in the busy park.
The mum said: “I was pushing my twins on the swings while my daughter and her sister were on the climbing frame with monkey bars.
“My seven-year-old daughter then came over and said there was a boy calling them names.
“So, I asked my teenagers to stay with the swings while I go over there and see what had happened.
“There were a few children on the climbing frame, and my daughter pointed out the boy, who looked about ten, who wasn’t being nice. I told her it is ok, and to just wait and play on the bars.
“When it came to her turn, she was a bit scared, and the boy called her a ‘chicken’. She reacted and said ‘I am not a chicken’, and I told her to just ignore him.
“She was just coming across to the end of the bars where the boy was standing. He then pulled out a what looked like a swiss army knife leant over to her and put the blade in her face.
“He then said, ‘I will stab you’.”
The mum then pulled her seven-year-old straight off the monkey bars, while alerting the other parents that this boy has a knife.
The 32-year-old then claims the boy’s parent came over and allegedly said “I didn’t know he would get it out, say sorry to the mum and girl as they are a bit upset”.
The mum has been left horrified by the incident and the alleged response.
She added: “I was lived, I was shaking, I was mad. I couldn’t even believe it.
“For the mum to respond like ‘it is only a little knife, it is fine’ is shocking, as it is not fine.
“It was horrible.
“She is now a bit scared about going to the park, she doesn’t want to go there again.
“I am still in shock over the whole situation.”
The mum said Essex Police were made aware of the incident.
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