Theresa May has condemned the “despicable” attack on a teenage asylum-seeker in London as she urged the public to help the police catch the boy’s attackers.
The Kurdish Iranian teenager remains seriously ill in hospital after he was beaten senseless by a mob as he waited for a bus in Croydon on Friday night.
Mrs May said she “absolutely” agreed with the Croydon Central MP Gavin Barwell, who described the attackers as “scum”.
Taking time out from her three-day trip to the Middle East, the Prime Minister told reporters: “I want to say something about the absolutely despicable attack that took place on the young asylum seeker on Friday in Croydon.
“This was an absolutely abominable attack - completely unacceptable. I absolutely agree with the sentiments of Gavin Barwell when he commented on this and I just hope that anybody who has any information about this will give that information to the police.
The police have urgently asked people to give them any information that they have so that they can complete this investigation. I just the public to come forward and help the police with this investigation.”
Mrs May made the comments as she arrived in Jordon as part of a security mission to the Middle East.
The boy was allegedly chased 100 yards into a housing estate, severely beaten around the head and left for dead after the original attackers were joined by up to 20 to 30 others.
Police on Monday charged five people, including two brothers and a brother and sister, over the attack, while others remain under arrest.
The boy, an Iranian Kurd, was left with a fractured skull and a blood clot on his brain and had been lucky to survive the attack she said. He will be scarred for life with injuries to his face, but should be able to leave intensive care.
Scotland Yard detectives have released CCTV pictures of others they are hoping to identify in connection with the Friday night assault in Croydon, south London.
Det Supt Jane Corrigan said the assault was “an unprovoked attack as a result of him being an asylum seeker”.
She said: “I think this was probably confidence by numbers. It started off with this smaller group of people who were joined by between 20 to 30 and they just viciously attacked these individuals because they were asylum seekers."
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