A GANG of girls aged as young as 12 took turns to kick an Asian youngster in the head as she lay helpless, police revealed today.
Alisha Khan, from Edinburgh, told how she suffered a daylight attack so severe she was left with double vision and nearly stumbled in to a busy road.
The gang was made up of girls aged between 12 and 16, and disgusted eyewitnesses said they took turns to kick her head.
Alisha, who was hospitalised with her arm in a sling after the Sunday evening attack, said the abuse began with racist taunts on Facebook calling her a ‘P*** b******.’
She said: “I think there might have been five or six of them but I couldn’t see when I was on the ground. I had my hands over my head as they kicked me. One of them also banged my head against a wall.
“Some guy came along and pulled me up. When I stood up I had double vision. I started running and I didn’t know where I was going so I ran on the road.
“Other people grabbed me and threw me on to the pavement to miss the cars.”
The gang hurled vile racist abuse at Alisha, who had to be taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children after they carried out the attack.
Alisha’s mother Jasmin, 38, said: “I felt sick when I saw her because she couldn’t move her arm. She also had cuts on her head from where they pulled her hair so hard.
“When she got back she was having trouble breathing.”
She continued: “I knew about the racist comment on Facebook but I didn’t think it would go this far. It’s shocking to think my daughter could be subjected to this kind of behaviour.
“My son was hit in the stomach in Pilton in a racist attack and it’s horrible to see this happen again.”
Claire Kirkland, 67, saw the incident when she was walking her dog.
She said: “It was absolutely disgusting. There must have been ten girls, each taking turns kicking the girl in the head.
“She had tried to run away but they ran after her and caught her by the hair and knocked her to the ground.
“The girls were all screaming and shouting as they did it.”
Ms Kirkland said there were increasing concerns about anti-social behaviour in the area: “This area is getting worse and worse at the moment.
“All these kids are running wild and taking drugs and getting drunk.
“There was a young black boy attacked because of race a few months ago here too.”
Local councillor Gary Peacock said: “I’m appalled by this incident. This sort of racist act has no place in Edinburgh.”
A Lothian and Borders police spokesman said they were investigating the attack.
He said: “Our officers are following a positive line of inquiry. In the meantime, anyone who may have witnessed the assault should come forward.”
