In recent decades, more parents have been hesitant to allow their kids to have sleepovers. They cite safety concerns, including the possibility of sexual abuse. One 12-year-old boy, however, experienced a different type of attack when he was severely burned by his friends during a sleepover prank – and his mom is speaking out.
The injured preteen in Georgia has not been named to protect his privacy, but his mother, Tiffany West, is not keeping quiet about the act of cruelty that left her son with burns on most of his face. Meanwhile, the “friends” now face charges.
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The Georgia mom detailed how her 12-year-old boy was severely burned in a sleepover prank.
During an interview with news station WALB 10, West explained that her son was at a neighbor’s apartment for a sleepover when the incident happened. A child allegedly threw scalding water on the 12-year-old when he was still asleep that morning. He suffered second-degree burns as a result of the prank.
After the attack, the preteen had surgery at a burn center.
“He was transported to the burn center in Augusta,” West told the news outlet. “He had to have surgery. Of course, he is out of surgery and is recovering at home now, but it is going to take him 12 to 14 days to heal.”
Three minors are facing charges.
Three friends allegedly involved in the incident, between ages 12 and 15, face charges, the Tifton Police Department told WALB, according to People. They were arrested but released to their parents, per the New York Post.
Although the specific charges are unclear, the victim’s family told WALB the children’s hearings will happen in roughly a month.
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West spoke out about how she felt about the situation.
“I mean, I really can’t describe it now,” West said of how she felt after her son was burned. “At that moment I was just mad, hurt, in shock. Everything.”
She added, “I was seeing red. I was just trying to hurry up and get him some help.”
Additionally, the victim's aunt released a statement.
“You got to be in shock to know your friends are capable of doing this to you,” the victim’s aunt, Nachelle, said in a statement to WALB 10, per the Post. “Like somebody you trusted, it’s just horrible. He never thought something like this would happen to him.”
As for how the 12-year-old felt, Nachelle added, “He’s numb about it.”
