A 12-year-old boy was assaulted in broad daylight when walking home from school on Monday.

Residents in Strathville Road jumped in to stop a boy being strangled and punched, at around 4pm on 21 September.

The boy was on his way home from London Oratory School, Fulham when he was followed by a group of four boys from a neighbouring school. 

Recounting the incident his dad said: "At the entrance to Strathville Road near Mood Café, the boys confronted him and asked, 'Where are you going? Where do you live?'  And then they said, 'Empty everything from your pockets and bag or we will kill you!'"

“He kept saying no, leave me alone, at which point they grabbed him by the throat and began strangling him and punching him. 

“This lasted for a few minutes until a neighbour shouted from one on the nearby windows which startled them, they then threw my son to the ground by the bins and fled via two scooters.”

A woman walked the boy to his door, where his Dad attempted to go back out and find the gang.

He said he found two outside Dounesforth Gardens, and after his son confirmed their identity, he confronted them.

“They were swearing and sent a lot of abusive language directly at me and at other neighbours that came out on to the street.

"After a couple of minutes of receiving this torrid abuse I restrained a boy so he could not flee the scene. At that point the second boy punched me in the face. 

“I’ve never been assaulted or punched in my life, and it turns out this was by a 13-year-old boy. I must say the whole episode was terrifying and very stressful. Especially as I underwent heart surgery about 10 weeks ago at St George's hospital,” said the dad.  

Both boys were restrained until police came, where they were handcuffed and taken away in a police van.

The family says they are shocked that the assault happened in such a “tight-knit community.”

“Our son is still shaken and does not want to venture outside on his own. He is now back at school, but we walk him to Earlsfield station to make sure he’s not accosted again,” said the dad of two.