Boy, 9, set alight by thug with a spray-can and a lighter

By PAUL SIMS

Last updated at 01:26 08 May 2007


A boy of nine suffered horrific burns to his face after he was sprayed with a can of deodorant and set alight.

Nick Mallinson may need plastic surgery after the apparently motiveless attack as he rode his bike through a park.

He was confronted by a boy of around the same age who began spraying him in the face with the deodorant and asking: "Do you like it?"

"I said no but he kept on spraying it, then pulled out a lighter from his pocket and set fire to my face," said Nick.

"I started waving my hands around to try to put out the flames but I couldn't.

"I just got on my bike and cycled home while my face was still burning. I just wanted to get away."

In severe pain, he managed to reach his home in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire.

His shocked mother, Kay Mallinson, 28, summoned the help of a neighbour who called an

ambulance while she soothed his wounds with cold water and a wet cloth.

Nick was taken to a local hospital before being moved to the burns unit at Pinderfields General Hospital in Wakefield where he was treated overnight for burns to his face and body.

His mother said: "He is just so brave. He was more concerned about me crying than his own pain and kept on telling me to keep smiling.

"I am so devastated that this has happened to him. It makes me cry when I see his face.

"When I first saw him I just couldn't think of what to do. I called my friend over and she just went into auto-pilot."

Nick suffered seven per cent burns to his face and could require surgery. In the meantime he has been given a special gel to ease the pain.

He did not know the culprit and says the attack was totally unprovoked.

"He'll be out of school for at least a month and can't stay in the sun because his wounds are still raw," said his mother.

"He won't go to the park anymore because he's too afraid. I just don't feel safe letting him out."

The attack took place last Tuesday as Nick rode home through Crow Wood Park.

A police spokesman confirmed they had launched an investigation.

He said: "This was a horrific attack. We are conducting inquiries and have spoken to Nick's mother about what happened.

"It'll just be a matter of time before doctors decide whether he will need plastic surgery or not."

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