'They could have killed him, and the police didn't care': Mum of epileptic teen beaten and repeatedly kicked in the head by gang of students speaks out

On 2 October 2025, Jake — not his real name — made his way to Stonelodge Park, where, according to his mother, he was surrounded by a group of between 18 and 23 boys and beaten. He was kicked repeatedly in the head and body, suffering injuries to his jaw and face. His phone was stolen, though it was later returned. Jake was taken to A&E, where his family waited for hours before leaving when he fell asleep in the hospital corridor.

"They could have killed him that day," his mother told Ipswich.co.uk. "The amount of kicks to the head he took — and he's epileptic."

Suffolk Constabulary were called that evening. Seven months later, a decision of No Further Action — meaning the case would be closed without charge — was reached. No one was prosecuted.

Three months before anyone visited the school

The group of boys were all reportedly students at the same local school, a school Jake does not attend due to his epilepsy being so severe.

Jake's mother says that in the weeks following the attack, contact from the investigating officer was infrequent and came at unreasonable hours. She says she had already gathered the names of the boys she believed were involved and had approached the school herself before the police did. The school, she says, was ready and waiting.

"I had all the evidence before they had," she said. "I told them: if you just go to the school, you'll get all the names. The school was waiting for them."

According to Jake's mother, the officer did not visit the school until January 2026 — approximately three months after the attack, when students returned from the Christmas holidays. She says the officer called her afterwards. "He went, 'Good news, I went to the school, and you were right — they all go to that school.' And I was like, what do you mean, good news? It's taken you three months."

When Ipswich.co.uk first approached Suffolk Constabulary for comment in March 2026, the force indicated it was unable to answer most of our questions while a formal complaint remained under investigation. A second set of questions was submitted in May 2026, following the conclusion of that process, and the force responded substantively at that stage. The timing of the school visit was not among the questions the force addressed.

A statement never completed

In November 2025, an officer attended the family home to begin taking a formal statement from Jake. Jake's mother says he had been there for approximately five minutes when he was called away to another incident and left. He did not return. To her knowledge, no formal statement was ever completed.

"He said, 'I'm sorry, there's something big going on, I have to leave,'" she recalled. "And we never saw him again after that."

'Common assault'

Witnesses were present at the scene. Students at the school were reportedly willing to give statements. Jake's mother says she was told that one boy had admitted involvement — though Suffolk Constabulary told Ipswich.co.uk only that one youth had been interviewed on the basis of Jake's account, and that "others were spoken to but not willing to provide an account to police."

The case was closed without charge.

The attack was classified as a "common assault" — the least serious tier of assault in English law. It is the basis on which the force justifies several of its decisions, and ultimately why, when the statutory six-month time limit for prosecuting common assault offences expired, the case could not progress.

Jake's mother disputes that framing. "He was kicked repeatedly in the head," she said. "He's an epileptic. They could have killed him."

The decision delivered after dark

On Wednesday, 29 April 2026, officers attended Jake's family home after 21:00 to inform them that the case would be closed with No Further Action. The statutory six-month time limit for prosecuting common assault offences had expired.

Jake's mother says she was given no written explanation. The decision, she says, was delivered at the door, late at night. She alleges that when Jake reacted with frustration during the visit, officers raised their voices at him. "I had to remind them that he was the victim," she said, "and that I had a two-week-old baby in the house."

Suffolk Constabulary told Ipswich.co.uk that the timing was "not unreasonable," explaining that the officer concerned was moving onto a night shift and that delivering the decision that evening meant Jake's mother would not have to wait a further six days. The force said that "there was still not enough evidence to approach the youth offending team" — the statutory body responsible for managing offending by under-18s — regardless of the time limit.

A mother arrested

In the months between the attack and the No Further Action decision, Jake's mother says she did everything she could to pursue the case herself — visiting the school, gathering names, and making repeated calls to police. "I tried to do everything by the book," she said. "Because there's nothing worse than someone touching your own child."

Then, on 29 March 2026, she was arrested.

She alleges that the mother of one of the boys involved made a complaint to police claiming she had been harassing her. Jake's mother categorically denies this. "I've got cameras, she's got cameras, I never did this," she said. She was held for approximately 10 hours, placed on bail for two weeks, and had her phone seized. Upon returning to bail, she says she was told there was no evidence to support the allegation.

When discussing the matter with police, the force told Ipswich.co.uk that a community resolution was issued in connection with the incident — in relation to, they said, verbal harassment. Community resolutions are a form of out-of-court disposal used for lower-level offences that can only be issued with the agreement of all parties; in accepting one, the individual accepts responsibility for the behaviour in question. Jake's mother told Ipswich.co.uk she did not understand this to be the case.

'No welfare officer, no welfare check, nothing'

Throughout the investigation, Jake's mother says no family liaison officer was assigned, no welfare check was made on Jake, and no one from the police ever visited him to acknowledge what he had been through.

"They never came out to see him," she said. "To put him right. To make him feel safe in the community again. Nothing like that."

The attack has, she says, significantly worsened Jake's epilepsy. In her formal complaint letter to Suffolk Constabulary, she wrote that the incident had "exacerbated his epilepsy attacks and the severity of them," resulting in PTSD-related seizures and a shortened threshold. She said the psychological impact on Jake has been severe and that she sought counselling for him independently, eventually securing three sessions through a local service. "That's everything I've done off my own back," she said.

Suffolk Constabulary's responses to Ipswich.co.uk did not address whether Jake's vulnerability was taken into account during the investigation.

"Nobody came to my son and said, 'What happened to you was really horrible, and we're going to make sure it doesn't happen again,'" his mother said. "Not once."

The complaint, and a window that may have closed

Jake's mother submitted a formal complaint to Suffolk Constabulary in January 2026, alongside a request for review under the Victim's Right to Review scheme — a formal process that allows victims to challenge a decision not to charge a suspect. She also wrote to Jack Abbott, the MP for Ipswich, who she says expressed sympathy but advised her to raise the matter with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) if she did not receive a satisfactory outcome.

The complaint outcome, sent at the end of April 2026, concluded that the service provided had been acceptable in respect of the two allegations made, but noted that some learning was recommended and that the investigation was to be reopened in respect of two lines of enquiry.

Alongside the outcome, Jake's mother had 29 days to request a further review with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner — a deadline Suffolk Constabulary confirmed expired on 26 May 2026. Jake's mother told Ipswich.co.uk that she was never made aware of this right. "They never told me about anything like that," she said. "Nobody mentioned I had a window to take it further."

Suffolk Constabulary did not confirm to Ipswich.co.uk whether Jake's mother had been informed of this right. Whether the two reopened lines of enquiry have since been progressed also remains unclear.

'They believe they're untouchable'

For Jake's mother, the absence of any consequence is not just a personal failure — it is a community one.

"These kids are still out there laughing," she said. "They told us: we can do what we want and get away with it. And the police have proved them right."

A support worker with a background in youth justice, who was present during one of our conversations, echoed their concerns about the lack of early intervention. "You always look at prevention," they said. "You always speak with the school, work in collaboration, build up that rapport. So that if incidents like this happen, you can put a stamp on it straight away. The fact that these young people still feel untouchable — that's what I really struggle with."

"I don't want anyone else to go through this," Jake's mother said. "I can't be the only family in this situation. And until something changes, these kids will keep doing this, because they know nothing will happen to them."

The bottom line

Jake's case raises questions that go beyond one family's experience. A vulnerable teenager was alleged to have been beaten in a public park and — according to his mother — left without a welfare visit, family liaison officer or justice. Suffolk Constabulary says the evidence was not there to progress the case. Jake's mother says the evidence was never properly sought.

What is not in dispute is that no one has been held to account. For Jake and his family, that is what matters.

If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this article, the Samaritans can be reached any time on 116 123. Young Minds provides mental health support for young people at youngminds.org.uk.

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