Mother savagely beaten by girl aged just 14 after confronting gang of yobs vandalising playground

A mother who bravely confronted a gang of yobs vandalising a children’s play area was left with shocking injuries after being hit by a teenage girl.
The unnamed woman, who is in her early 40s, suffered a powerful single blow from a girl believed to be aged just 14 - after she arrived at the public park to pick up her daughter in the early evening.
She had challenged a group of youngsters after seeing them throw newly-installed swings up and over mountings at Leyland Park in Wigan, Greater Manchester.
 
The victim, who does not want to be named, was floored and left dazed after being punched by the girl - who she believes she has identified via Facebook.
Because the mother has a job which involves dealing with the public face to face, she has had to take time off work and may lose income while the black bruising to her partially closed right eye subsides. She said: ‘I did what I what hope most people in their right minds would do.

‘The council has spent a lot of money, which at the end of the day is our money, doing a nice job refurbishing the park - but some of these children just love being destructive.
‘I went there to collect my daughter and could see out of the corner of my eye a group of teenage children throwing the swings over the top of the frame they are mounted on.
‘That kind of vandalism, particularly with the play equipment being so new, really annoys me and I am the type of person to challenge it.

‘I told them to stop it and I got a barrage of effing back for my trouble. Things got quite heated and then one of the teenagers punched me, out of the blue, in the face, which sent me flying.

‘As an adult you are in an awkward position when you are assaulted by a minor because your physical actions can be misinterpreted and you can then find yourself in trouble, rather than the attacker.
‘I was feeling dizzy and a bit woozy but I found the police straight away because this type of behaviour can’t be tolerated. It certainly must not be allowed to become the norm in a public park where lot of young children are playing.
‘This kind of teen gang can’t take over play areas like this without people who bring their own children up properly asking them to behave.