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Pupil hit with crowbar in class
13/09/2006 11:03 - (SA)
Merle Munnik, Die Burger
Colchester - A high school pupil may have a speech defect for the rest of his life after he was beaten over the head with a crowbar.
Kevin-Lee Nel, a Grade 8 pupil at the Colchester school, was recovering in the Uitenhage hospital after he was hit with a crowbar on Tuesday.
"I am more worried about the fact that my child will never be able to talk again than about the huge wound to the back of his head," said his shocked mother, Laura Nel.
"I told him he mustn't copy my work," said Kevin-Lee from his hospital bed, his head bandaged.
He spoke with difficulty as the blow against his head impaired his speech.
He felt the blow against his head shortly after he had asked the alleged attacker not to look at his work.
All he could remember, was that he got up after receiving the blow in order to get headmaster Mervin Fortuin's attention.
Fortuin rushed Kevin-Lee to the Uitenhage hospital. Roxanne Tobias accompanied them. She sat behind Kevin-Lee in class and witnessed the attack. She had to receive trauma counselling.
"Fortunately I was on my way to drop off an old lady at the same hospital when I got the call informing me about the incident," said Nel.
"Roxanne initially thought the boy had hit Kevin-Lee with a broom, but before she could scream she saw the blood."
"I never thought something like this could happen in our school or to our son, the community is just too small," said Kevin Nel, Kevin-Lee's father.
According to Captain Verna Brink, a police spokesperson, no formal charge had been laid at the police as both boys were under-aged and because the parents could not be reached.
She was informed by the investigating officers that the two boys had quarrelled and that it led to a fight.
Fortuin said the crowbar was among gardening and other equipment that was stored in one of the four classrooms to prevent theft.
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