Conner McGowan was left bruised and bleeding after stepping in to protect a pal from a gang of yobs.
UFC fighter Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett has sent out a message of support to a schoolboy after he was set upon by a teen gang in Dundee. Conner McGowan, 12, intervened to protect his female friend after they had made a trip to the city from Fife.
The brave lad was allegedly then threatened with a knife and hit over the head with a bottle and had his head stamped on. The young lad sustained facial injuries as well as cuts to his legs and head following the brutal attack near Dundee’s High Street on Friday night at around 9pm.
Conner is a massive UFC fan and idolises Pimblett so when his hero heard what happened he sent the lad a video message.
It said: “Yes Conner, mate. I heard about your amazing bravery. Well in for defending your mate. And I hope that you get well soon, mate, and recover soon. Lots of love from the Baddie.”
Pimblett also gave the youngster VIP tickets to attend the Cage Warriors event in Glasgow next month. Fife Flyers ice hockey club have also invited the 12-year-old along to a match as a special guest.
A spokesperson said: “Incidents like this should never happen, and we stand firmly with Conner and his family as he continues his recovery. To lift his spirits, we’d love to invite Conner along to a Fife Flyers game as our special guest.
“Captain Garet Hunt, Ethan Somoza, and the team would be proud to meet him and show him around the dressing room. We’re sending our very best wishes and hope to see you soon Conner!”
Conner’s mum, Lori Roache, told the Record that her son and his two pals decided to travel through to the city from their hometown in Springfield, Fife.
The 30-year-old said: “The three of them were just minding their own business when they were approached by a gang of about 20 boys and girls.
“The girl Conner was with was singled out by the crowd so he stepped in and told them to leave her alone and the three of them tried to leave the area.”
Unfortunately, the incident didn’t end there. Lori claims the group were “like a pack of animals” and they “could have killed” her son.
She said: “Suddenly, a gang of twelve boys aged between 15-17 surrounded my son. One of them held a knife up to Conner’s face and then another smashed a bottle over his head.
“Once he fell to the ground they were on him like a pack of animals, punching him and stamping down on his head. He is really badly injured but I am just glad he is alive. They could have very easily killed him by kicking his head like that.”
Conner was meant to have been home at 8.30pm but his phone had run out of battery and at the time of the attack, Lori was driving around looking for him.
While she was in the car one of her son’s fiends sent her a message to say what happened and she immediately raced to Dundee and took him to Ninewells Hospital. The lad was given treatment and allowed home but has been left extremely distressed.
The mum-of-four said: “After learning what happened I was screaming and bawling the full way there and can barely even remember the 20-minute drive.
“I put Conner in the car and took him to the hospital where he was given treatment and discharged in the early hours of the morning.
“He has to go back in a week to have the stitches removed and get more X-rays to check there is no lasting damage. He was running on adrenaline last night but it has hit home today how serious this is and he is really traumatised.
“I am scared to let him out the house now. He’ll obviously need to go back out one day but I’ll make sure he isn’t straying far away like that ever again. These thugs who attacked him can’t get away with it and need to be tracked down before they kill someone.”
Police Scotland confirmed they have launched a probe into the attack. They are working to trace those involved.
A spokesperson for the force said: “Around 9pm on Friday, March 20, police received a report of a disturbance involving a group of youths in an alleyway, near the High Street, Dundee.
“Two males, aged 12 and 14 and a 17-year-old female were injured in the incident. Enquiries are ongoing to trace those involved.”
Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources. Click HERE
You must be logged in to post a comment Login