A 14-year-old boy has been taken to hospital after an assault involving a group of teenagers at a recreation ground in Coulsdon on Wednesday evening.
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Coulsdon Memorial Recreation Ground on Marlpit Lane just before 6pm on Wednesday, September 30, after reports of a disturbance involving a number of young people. Officers went to the scene alongside paramedics, where they found the boy, who had been assaulted.
A spokesperson for the force said the teenager was taken to hospital for treatment and was later discharged. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing, the spokesperson said.
No arrests have been made at this stage and enquiries are continuing, police confirmed.
Anyone who saw what happened, or who has information that could help the investigation, is asked to call police on 101, quoting the reference CAD 5949/30Sep. People can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through its website.
Crimestoppers is an independent charity, separate from the police, and passes information on without ever asking for a caller’s name. Calls to 0800 555 111 are free and are not traced or recorded, which means people who are nervous about speaking to officers directly can still help an investigation.
Coulsdon Memorial Recreation Ground sits on Marlpit Lane in Coulsdon, in the south of the London Borough of Croydon, close to the Surrey border. The open space is a well-used spot for local families, dog walkers and young people, sitting within a largely residential part of the town.
Coulsdon lies at the southern edge of Greater London, and the recreation ground on Marlpit Lane is one of the town’s well-known open spaces. Like many suburban parks, it is used by families and young people throughout the week, and incidents that bring a large emergency response to the area tend to draw attention from residents.
Witness appeals are a routine part of police investigations in the capital, and officers regularly ask the public to help identify suspects or fill in gaps in an account of what happened. In recent months detectives have issued a CCTV appeal after a man was punched in the face at Hackney Downs station, and released CCTV images following a serious assault at Liverpool Street station.
If you witness an incident like this, there are simple steps that can help the victim and any later investigation. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help; for information about something that has already happened, 101 is the non-emergency number. Try to note the time, the exact location and descriptions of those involved — what people were wearing can be especially useful — but do not put yourself at risk by stepping in. Anything you saw, however small it may seem, could matter to detectives. If you would rather not give your name, Crimestoppers takes information in confidence and never asks who you are.
In an emergency — when a crime is happening, someone is hurt or in immediate danger — always call 999 first. The 101 number is for everything else: reporting something after the event, passing on information or asking for advice. Both numbers are staffed around the clock.
Cases involving young people and serious violence have come before London’s courts in recent months. Two teenagers were sentenced for manslaughter over the killing of Yeray Sanchez Morales on Old Kent Road, a case that underlined how quickly confrontations between young people can turn tragic. In Coulsdon, thankfully, the injuries this time were not believed to be life-threatening — but officers will be keen to establish exactly what happened on the recreation ground and why.
Officers said their enquiries were continuing and urged anyone who was in the area on Wednesday evening to get in touch.
