A 13-year-old was beaten by a gang of youths while he walked home - all for the sake of a £20 baseball hat.
Shaun Hanby was walking to his house in Eastwood Bury Lane, Southend, with his friends when the violent attack happened.
Beaten - Shaun Hanby recovers at home Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY
Police have now issued a warning as incidents like this become a regular occurrence during the school half-term.
The youngster was approached by a gang in a field near his home who demanded he hand over his Nike cap.
After refusing to hand it over, one of the gang attacked him.
He was left with a partially closed eye and a split lip after the attack.
His mother Tracey is outraged it happened all for the sake of a fashion item.
She said: "At the end of the day, you do not expect someone to beat the hell out of someone for a hat."
Shaun goes to Cecil Jones High School, in Eastern Avenue, Southend.
A spokesman at Southend police said: "Shaun is coming in for a video interview later today.
"There are lots of incidents like this one over the holidays and we are interviewing a number of teenagers later this morning about a number of incidents reported."
Published Thursday, May 29, 2003
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