How Could They Do That?

Sam will be 15 at the weekend, he has been looking forward to a shopping trip to town to buy clothes with his birthday money, but now it looks as if all that will have to be put on hold. Yesterday on his way home from school he was badly beaten up by three men aged about 18 or 19. They wanted his phone and they punched and kicked him between 15 and 20 times around his face and head. He was so upset and frightened that when he rang me I found it very hard to understand what had happened and where he was. Emily and I went straight out to find him but it took a while to locate him. He was in such a state that I took him straight to the surgery to be checked over by the doctor. His face was already badly swollen and very painful, and the inside of his mouth was badly cut, but the doctor hopes that no bones are broken. There is a possibility that his nose is broken and there is some concern about the damage to his right cheek, but nothing can be done about that for a couple of weeks until the swelling has gone down. The police came out to take a statement from him and they are sending someone out to photograph his injuries today. Poor old Sam, I really hope this doesn't spoil his Birthday and Christmas for him.