The mother of the schoolboy stabbed up to nine times before collapsing outside a parade of shops in an attack carried out in broad daylight, has thanked the woman who helped save her son.

The 15-year-old, Eddie, was taken to a resuscitation unit at St Helier Hospital with life-threatening injuries following the brutal attack at about 2.30pm on Friday, October, on a 151 bus.

He was only considered well enough to be released late on Tuesday, October 28.

Early reports suggested a fight had broken out on the bus, before the boy staggered off at the Rose Hill roundabout and collapsed outside KFC. Immediately following the attack Eddie was cared for by Sarah Biggs, 46, who was on her way to buy milk when she saw him fall to the floor.

Eddie's mother Tracy contacted the Sutton Guardian to thank Mrs Biggs for caring for her son.

She said: "Sarah rang the hospital to see how he was and I just want to thank her for everything.

"Eddie didn't know who she was. He just said a lady said a prayer for him at the time.

"We'd both like to thank her for being there.

"It must have been terrible for her having to see that."

She said he was now feeling better.

Mrs Biggs, a carer from Morden, cradled the boy as she waited for emergency services to arrive.

She said: "He was in a state of shock, he kept saying he couldn’t breathe.

"I was just trying to reassure him, trying to talk to him normally because he was in such a state of shock.

"Cars were going past, but even though it is a busy area, there was no one around.

"It was the strangest thing, in those two to three minutes we were frozen in time.

"There was a PCSO there before me, and I put my coat under the boy’s head after putting him into the recovery position.

"I held his hand until emergency services arrived, he was conscious the whole time but I was certain he was going to die.

"I couldn't see loads of stab wounds on him, but there was one on his back and another on his shoulder."

On Sunday a 15-year-old was charged with GBH with intent, having been arrested on an attempted murder charge the day before.

The boy, who cannot be named, will appear at Croydon Youth Court on November 11.

Sutton CID is asking anyone with information to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.