A 16-year-old accused of assaulting a Syrian refugee in a school bullying incident has left the country with his mum, according to reports.
The incident in question relates to a video which appeared to show a 15-year-old boy being pushed to the ground with water thrown over him at a school in Huddersfield.
The alleged bully has since been summoned to youth court over the allegation of common assault, though a date for his first appearance has not been set.
The teen, who the Standard is not naming for legal reasons, is said to have gone abroad to stay with family members.
His brother told the Daily Mail: “They’ve left Huddersfield and they’ve left the UK for the time being.
“My brother doesn’t have any bail conditions so it’s not been a problem.”
He also dismissed the allegations the attack was racially fuelled.
“There are rumours that he’s been beaten up in revenge attacks but I think that’s nonsense," he said.
“There have threats though but we’ve got a good group - a big army - around us so there’s no reason to worry."
In the footage, which spread widely online, the boy is dragged by his neck to the ground while his assailant says “I’ll drown you”.
West Yorkshire Police said: “This incident has been treated very seriously by all those involved and has been swiftly investigated.”
It has confirmed a teen has been interviewed and summoned to youth court, though a date has not been stated as yet.
The force would not comment upon whether any teenager involved had left the country.
Superintendent Steve Dodds, of West Yorkshire Police Kirklees District, previously said officers were investigating a “racially-aggravated assault”, however the summons has been for common assault.
An incident involving the Syrian boy’s sister being abused is also being looked into.
The bullying victim has spoken of crying in the middle of the night following the incident and also no longer wanting to attend school.
