UPDATE: |Mum’s fury as teen dragged unconscious through park after being battered by gang News

WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Hope Lyden, 13, was brutally beaten by a group of girls after she agreed to meet a friend at the weekend

The mother of a young girl who was savagely attacked by a group of teenagers in Scotland has spoken out, highlighting the alarming issue of youth violence.

Hope Lyden, 13, was subjected to a brutal assault by several girls after arranging to meet a friend at Boden Boo in Erskine over the weekend. The teen had been talking to her friend at the bus stop on Friday evening when she was confronted by an unfamiliar girl who accused her of gossiping about her.

Another teen followed Hope and offered to help her “get away” after the argument broke out. But as they reached a nearby field, Hope suffered a sudden blow to the back of her head – leaving her unconscious.

A shocking video that has spread across social media depicts three girls brutally kicking and punching Hope as she lies defenceless on the ground while a crowd of bystanders laugh and record the appalling incident on their phones.

In a further distressing video, the assailants are seen dragging Hope’s motionless body through the grass by her hair, at which point it is believed she was still unconscious, reports the Daily Record.

Katrina Lyden, Hope’s mother, has courageously come forward with the details of her daughter’s ordeal to support the Record’s campaign against youth violence, titled Our Kids … Our Future.

From Clydebank, 37 year old Katrina spoke of the terrifying moment she received a call from Hope: “Hope phoned me and all I could hear was her screaming. She was frantic. It was horrific. I could hear the kicks and thuds.

“She screamed again, but then there was nothing else from her. I could hear loads of girls’ voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying. I eventually managed to get to speak to one of Hope’s friends who told me there was a group of girls laying into her and that she looked unconscious.

“Thinking about it now makes me feel physically sick.”

Katrina got in her car and drove to the beauty spot straight away. When she arrived, she found Hope lying in a heap on the ground with her clothes ripped and clumps of her hair pulled from her skull.

The mum-of-two said: “She had her eyes open but mentally, she was somewhere else. She looked traumatised and just absolutely stunned.

“At first, after seeing her like that, I was furious but now I am utterly devastated that somebody could do this to her and just leave her like that.”

“It is every mother’s worst nightmare.”

Hope was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow for treating injuries including concussion, a possible fractured nose, and significant damage to her mouth. The attack has been reported to Police Scotland and is currently under investigation.

Describing the brutality of the assault, Katrina said: “This attack was completely senseless. In the video, you can see that Hope was already unconscious when they were dragging her body through the field.

“They were using her head as a football and for all they know, she could have been dead. They laid into her and she was absolutely helpless.

“This level of violence is terrifying and the fact nobody jumped in to stop it is sickening.”

Katrina is now backing the Record’s Our Kids … Our Future campaign, which was launched two years ago after the Daily Record reported on a concerning series of attacks on teens across the country.

As part of the campaign, the Scottish Government has been urged to ring-fence funding for safe spaces for youths to attend in every community, where they can be mentored and guided.

In addition, social media giants have been asked to remove violent clips of attacks on youths before they go viral.

Katrina believes Hope’s assault could have been prevented if her attackers had safe spaces to go to

She said: “Kids do need places to go to. There’s nothing for them and these attacks are getting out of hand. Hope had never met these girls before and maybe if they had somewhere to go where they were taught the consequences of violence this attack on my daughter might have not happened.

“If we teach kids more positive behaviour and mentor them, then we might be able to teens like Hope, or any other child,from being battered black and blue.

“The Scottish Government needs to invest in things like youth clubs if it wants to get kids off the streets and end this violence once and for all.”

On Monday evening, Police Scotland confirmed that two young girls have now been charged in connection with the incident.

A statement from them said: “Officers were made aware of the assault of a 13-year-old girl which happened around 6pm on Friday, 11 April, 2025, in the Boden Boo area of Erskine.

“She was taken to hospital for treatment. Two girls, aged 12 and 13, have been charged in connection with the incident and will be reported to the relevant authority.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “No one should have to experience the sickening violent acts captured in this footage and our thoughts should rightly be with the victim and her recovery. We continue to take action with partners to address youth violence. We have invested more than £6 million to support implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework, to deliver prevention and early intervention.

“Through our Cashback for Communities initiative, we have also provided £130 million to support young people who are most at risk at being involved in violence, antisocial behaviour or crime. Last month a youth violence social media campaign was launched by our grant-funded partner Fearless, encouraging young people to speak up and report violence and weapon possession to prevent harm before it happens.”

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