A 13-year-old boy was brutally beaten in the face with a hammer while a crowd of children filmed the attack in Co. Antrim.
Ulster Unionist Party councillor Stephen Nicholl revealed the attack happened yesterday afternoon close to a bus and train station in the town of Ballymena.
The victim, who is understood to be just 13-years-old, was taken to hospital and treated for facial injuries after the attack in the Galgorm Road area of the town.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, two boys aged 15 and 16 have been arrested in relation to the assault and remained in police custody overnight.
Mr Nicholl said that the behaviour of those who witnessed the incident is just as disturbing as the attack itself.
“Quite a number of other kids Snapchatted the victim being hit with a hammer and filmed it for other social media platforms,” he said.
“This was a very serious assault and my thoughts are with the young boy.
“But filming something like this just sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Some attacks are actually being set up just to get attention on social media.
“There’s a disconnect in our society when someone is being horrifically attacked and the first response of onlookers is to get their phones out.
“It should have been to protect a vulnerable person.”
The PSNI has said that the investigation is ongoing.
See More: Attack, Crime, Northern Ireland
