Bradford attack seen by thousands online ‘was not racially motivated’

Three 13-year-old boys were arrested on Friday on suspicion of assault following a video showing a 12-year-old boy being punched and kicked.

The 39-second video, which was widely shared on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, begins with the boy being punched in the head while lying on the ground, and kicked by the two attackers whose faces can’t be seen.

West Yorkshire Police said this weekend that two of the arrested boys have been charged with attempted robbery and assault and were released on bail to appear at Bradford Youth Court at a future date. The third boy was released on bail for further enquiries to be undertaken.

Detective Chief Inspector Terry Long said: “Thankfully a member of the public has reported the Facebook video posting of the assault which occurred in early May 2015. It was not reported to the police at the time. We don’t believe the attack to be racially motived.

“The police in Bradford will not tolerate incidents of this type and we will respond quickly and professionally.”

The boys involved in the video are all from the Heaton area of Bradford, police said last week.