Nearly £ 40,000 donated to a boy who lost his finger while running away from school bullies

Donations have flooded in for a boy whose finger had to be amputated after he allegedly escaped an attack by school bullies. Chantal Bailey raised nearly £ 40,000 to treat her 11-year-old son Rahim after a campaign of racial abuse led to serious injuries, she said.

Ms Bailey said Rahim had suffered racist and physical attacks since joining the Abertillery Learning Community last September. She claims he was beaten by thugs on Tuesday and while trying to escape, he severely injured his right arm on the railing, as WalesOnline reported here.

The Welsh Government issued a statement after the incident stating: “We condemn harassment and racial harassment in all its forms and expect the allegations and cases of harassment and racism to be fully investigated by schools with appropriate action taken to address the issue and prevent other cases occur. “

Read on:The daughter’s heartfelt respect for the mother “with a lot of pain and struggle, trying to put her children first” as the murder investigation continues

Ms Bailey raised £ 37,585 in one day after setting up a Gofundme page with a £ 10,000 target for personalized prosthetic finger and any other Raheem restoration costs. She said she did not realize the gravity of the alleged harassment until she received a call from Rahim while he was at school.

“On Monday, Rahim called me in tears while I was at work, saying that he was harassed, but that he was the one who was threatened with detention, even though he was the one who was being deceived,” she added. The mother of four said she went to school and was “reassured that everything will be done”. But on Tuesday, she received another call from Rahim, who was “screaming in pain.”

She said: “On Tuesday morning, during a break, Rahim was attacked and beaten by a group of children during school. He was pushed to the ground and then repeatedly kicked. He made a desperate attempt to leave the school grounds to escape the situation, but caught his finger. I received a phone call from Rahim and then from the school informing me of the incident.

Rahim Bailey’s family, from left to right: Rukaya, Raihana, Solomon, mother Chantal and Rahim (Image: WalesOnline / Rob Brown)

“The school told me that the ambulance would not arrive in two hours, but advised me not to drive Rahim to A&E. Rahim, his brother and I were taken to the minor injuries ward by the school bus, even though they knew he was seriously injured. We spent the next five hours waiting for an ambulance to transfer us to the place where he would be operated on, in Swansea, 50 miles from home and school. Over time, it became more apparent that the possibility of my son losing his finger was real. Doctors then confirmed that this was possible. I had to explain this to him while he was sitting there in agony. “

Rahim underwent six hours of surgery to save his finger, but was unsuccessful. Chantal said on Friday that he had returned home and was in a lot of pain.

“I think he’s still in shock because he keeps asking why it happened to him and why people don’t like him,” she added. “We haven’t seen his hand yet because it’s all bandaged, but it will take a while for him to get used to it. I am extremely upset because the school has not reached me since the day of the incident to check on his well-being. “

A spokeswoman for the Abertillery Learning Community said: “We are currently working closely with Guent’s police and local authorities to establish the full details of the incident. The well-being and safety of our students and staff remain paramount. We will not comment further for now. ”