THE MOTHER of a 14-year-old boy has spoken out after he was stabbed in the leg with a 'kitchen knife' during an attempted robbery.

The 14-year-old was stabbed in the leg during the incident which involved a group of young people 'who were after their phones' in Christchurch.

The teenager was going to a corner shop with two friends when he was approached by the group on Dragoon Way on Sunday night.

His mother said: “They were set upon by a group of 10 or 12 youths aged about 17 plus, who were after their phones.

“One boy on a bike grabbed my son’s shirt and demanded his mobile phone.

“He ran away and unfortunately, one of the attackers on a bike caught my son and stuck a kitchen knife in his leg.

“He now has six stitches in his calf muscle. He seems okay at the moment, but he could still be in shock.

“I think parents need to be vigilant and be aware of where their children are and who they are with.

“My son was with a really nice group of friends. He was minding his own business, he’s not a troublemaker.

"There's just no way that anything like this should have happened.

“Our kids shouldn't have to worry about walking down the street in a residential area and being attacked.”

Bournemouth Echo:

She said parents need to make sure their children know what to do in these situations.

“I said to my son next time, if it ever happens again, just give them your phone, it's not worth getting stabbed over and he said his phone wasn't on display, it was in his pocket.

“It was just horrendous.”

Detectives investigating the reported attempted robbery offence are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Detective Constable Jonathan Sibert said: “I would like to reassure the community that a full investigation is underway into this incident.

“I would urge anyone who witnessed this incident, or saw anything suspicious, to please contact Dorset Police. I am also keen to hear from anyone who may have captured something of relevance on their home CCTV cameras or dashcam.

“Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team are aware of this incident and will be continuing with their regular patrols and can be approached with any specific concerns.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220119805.