Teenager charged after Syrian boy ‘waterboarded’ at Huddersfield school

A 16-year-old boy is to be charged after a video showing a pupil being headbutted and choked at a Huddersfield school went viral on social media, West Yorkshire Police has said.

The victim, believed to be a 15-year-old Syrian refugee, is seen being dragged to the floor by his neck and then pinned down as water is poured over his face. “A friend said that he had been ‘waterboarded’,” reports The Times.

The Huddersfield Examiner says that the attack took place on a playing field at Almondbury High School in October and that the victim, named locally as Jamal, is a pupil whose family escaped the Syrian civil war two years ago.

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According to The Times, he and his little sister have been victims of bullying since they first came to the school. A cast is visible on his arm in the video, which has been viewed millions of times on Facebook and Twitter.

“A 16-year-old youth has been interviewed and reported for summons, for an offence of assault. He will appear at Youth Court in due course,” police announced on Wednesday morning.

Almondbury High School head teacher Trevor Brown said: “The safety and welfare of students is of paramount importance to us and this was a very serious incident.

“We are not able to comment further as we are supporting the police with their investigation but I want to be clear that we do not tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any sort in our school.”

Since the video has gone viral, a fundraiser has been set up on GoFundMe for the boy and his family. More than £70,000 has been donated since the page went up on Tuesday evening.