A 15-YEAR-OLD boy was beaten up after he posted a “joke” picture about one of his classmates on social media.

Daniel Ibraham, a pupil at Hove Park School in Nevill Road, suffered bruising around his right eye and injuries to his back, elbows and head.

Daniel’s mother, Ayven Barakat, 39, said her son was now too scared to go back to school.

Ms Barakat, from Hangleton, said: “Daniel sent out the meme on Snapchat on Friday night and it was just a joke, but unfortunately his classmate did not think it was.

“Daniel apologised to the boy but he would not accept it.”

Daniel said he was threatened by the boy, who reportedly said he “would not let [Daniel] go”.

Ms Barakat said: “I got a call from my eldest son during lunch time on Monday who told me that Daniel had to be sent to A&E at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.

“My eldest was about to take an exam but Daniel called him, telling him he was beaten up by three of his classmates and he needed his brother’s support.

“I was in college at the time so I didn’t hear the call. Later I looked at my phone and I had so many missed calls and messages from my eldest son, my mother and sister.

“I arrived to the hospital just after noon and I was absolutely shocked to see my own child covered with blood.

“He could barely open his eyes. I started to cry and asked him what happened. The school has given Daniel one week off to recover.

“At the moment he can’t open his eye because it’s so swollen. The doctors believe he may have suffered a concussion.

“Daniel is still going to get check-ups and he is too scared to go back to school.”

Ms Barakat said the attack has left her son terrified and nervous.

She added: “Daniel’s gone very quiet and he doesn’t want to talk about what happened. He doesn’t want to eat and he doesn’t want to do anything.

“He’s also hurt emotionally, and us too. We’re very upset seeing him like this. Daniel hadn’t told me about the argument he had with his classmate on social media. Unlike his siblings, he keeps to himself.

“Disagreements should not be resolved with violence. I want to say to other parents out there that if something like this happens to your child don’t stay quiet, report it to the school immediately so appropriate action can be taken.

“Violence should not be tolerated and children who carry it out need to understand the consequences. Parents should also try and monitor their children’s online habits because even harmless posts can be taken the wrong way.”

School's comment

The incident was reported to the school which is currently investigating the matter.

Jim Roberts, headteacher of Hove Park School, said: “We understand the issue started with comments that had been posted on social media at the end of last week and that continued over the weekend.

“The students involved have been excluded while we work with the police and families to get a better understanding of their individual involvement.

“We will then be in a position to take further action if required. This could include considering their long-term future at our school.