'Why did nobody step in to help my son?'

THE savage attack on clergyman's son Willem Haymaker will shock many readers.

Father Bill Haymaker, Rector of St Paul's Anglican Parish, part of the Anglican Independent Communion, sent the Observer Willem's picture in his hospital bed to compare with one taken some years earlier.

Father Haymaker said on Monday: "On Friday night my son, Willem, was assaulted at the edge of Egerton Park, leading to Sackville Road.

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"According to witnesses, a gang of eight-15 youths, repeatedly beat him, kicking him in the head and chest.

"I was called to the scene by Police Community Support Officer Lucy Goodfellow.

"As my daughter Mary and I arrived at the scene, the ambulance team were administering emergency care to stabilise Willem.

"He was taken to the Conquest Hospital, where he has been kept for observation.

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"Although his condition is no longer life-threatening, Willem has impaired vision in his left eye, multiple contusions and broken bones. His face has been severely disfigured as a result of the beating.

"Acts of violence such as these are unfortunate signposts leading to the collapse of our society. As a parent, I'm profoundly distressed at the degree of violence perpetrated against a boy who is inherently friendly and respectful to everyone. However, my sadness also extends to the culprits.

"We need to recognise that young people who commit such crimes, most likely come from families, where their own parent or parents, suffer from the dysfunctional mentality of many families of the new millennium.

"The children grow up in hostile environments where both parents suffer from maladies such as depression or anxiety and certainly a lack of family values. Consequently, those ills are acted out upon their own children in the form of a hostile environment for the child. It becomes a breeding ground for divorce and crime-prone children.

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"The perpetrators have most likely grown physically on a diet of junk food and emotionally much less. The parent figure is probably of limited intelligence and the child has spent their life devoid of any intelligent stimuli, instead being subjected to a life of demeaning and counter-social behaviours.

"We are working with Sussex Police to apprehend the culprits. I am thankful for all the personal care and concern they have offered during this most distressing time. Any information which would help to identify the assailants would be greatly appreciated."

Father Haymaker said: "I'm so grateful for the kindness of the police, especially the shift sergeant, the WPCs who helped me with my 14-year-old daughter at the scene of the assault, PC Paul Gray, and PCSO Lucy Goodfellow, who has helped me with numerous sad emergencies in our community.

"They all have phoned both professionally and privately to enquire about Willem's wellbeing.

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"Even Dr Amy Hymes, a locum in our community, stayed behind at the Conquest, far after her shift, to assist Mary whilst I attended to my son's immediate needs. I'm deeply touched by their compassion and concern."

He said that what saddened him was that although there were many witnesses nobody had stepped in to intervene.

"Willem is new student at Bexhill College. His teachers from Bexhill High have all described him as a happy, kind, and gentle boy who has never associated with the 'wrong crowds.'

"As I understand it, there have been other unprovoked attacks in our community recently. I fear this is a sign of a group of bad seeds getting far out of hand."

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