ANTHONY JOSHUA and Gary Neville are among the sports stars to have shown their support to an 11-year-old boy who lost his finger while “fleeing school bullies”.
Raheem Bailey was beaten by a group of children at school on Tuesday, his mother Shantal said.
Anthony Joshua has shown support to Raheem Bailey
Raheem Bailey lost his finger while ‘fleeing school bullies’
Ms Bailey, 28, said her son tried to escape school but got his right-hand ring finger caught while climbing a fence.
And as a result, Raheem’s finger had to be amputated.
Ms Bailey described her son’s bullying hell in a GoFundMe page she set up last week to support his recovery.
His family have received a flood of support since, with donations of up to £85,000 by Sunday.
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Boxer Joshua as well as footballers Jadon Sancho and Ashley Williams sent private messages of support through Ms Bailey’s Instagram.
She also revealed football manager Chris Hughton, pundit Gary Neville and Olympic BMX biker Kye Whyte sent supportive words.
US basketball player Gerald Green, who plays with nine fingers, has even set up a call to speak to Raheem directly.
Ms Bailey said Raheem has faced “racial and physical abuse” since starting secondary school at Abertillery Learning Community in South Wales in September.
Speaking to the PA news agency on Sunday, she said: “Here’s so many people just in different places that have been so generous, and I did not expect what has happened so I am truly, truly grateful for it.”
Ms Bailey added: “Why should I send my child into school to be a punching bag?”
“I just don’t understand, something needs to be done, I think it needs a conversation to be had.”
Ms Bailey did reveal the support for her son has “really put smiles on his face” and is “making him pick his head up”.
She said: “It’s been amazing because it’s like another kind of boost, of ‘there you go, you see there is mean people but there’s also a lot of nice people’.
“I am truly, truly, truly grateful and if it can do anything by, you know, raising awareness for racism, bullies, whatever.
“There’s so many people that get targeted for differences that they don’t have control over, whether or not it’s a disability, whatever it is, it can be tackled, and so things like this does shed light on it.”
Raheem’s finger had to be amputated after the incident
