Boy, 14, almost killed for iPod is too scared to leave his room

A boy who was beaten nearly to death by a gang of teenagers who stole his iPod is now too scared to leave his bedroom, his mother said today.

Tyler Molloy, 14, was in a coma for two days after the attack in Furzedown Park, Tooting, last month.

He was chatting with three female friends after school when they were approached by 10 boys aged about 15. The gang demanded Tyler's belongings and he gave them his iPod, mobile phone, bank card and jacket, telling them he did not want any trouble.

He was then punched and knocked unconscious before members of the gang repeatedly kicked him in the stomach and stamped on his head. He suffered a ruptured spleen and other severe internal injuries and was put on a life-support machine after the attack on April 28.

Tyler is back home but will not be well enough to return to school until September. His mother Jerry Molloy, 39, a part-time student from Clapham, today said Tyler was "lucky to be alive" but struggling to cope.

"He still has a very long way to go before he's back to normal," she said. "He is terrified. He won't even come out of his bedroom sometimes.

"He hasn't really been able to talk about what happened. All he keeps saying is that he didn't do anything to them, that he told them he didn't want trouble and they attacked him.

"The injuries were so serious that he'll be in bed for at least a month. Only time will tell how this will affect him in the future. This violence on our streets has to stop. The politicians need to do something before it gets completely out of control. Someone has to take a stand. The police know who a lot of these gang members are. They should be tagged and brought under control."

Ms Molloy said she wanted to start a campaign against youth violence in the capital. "I am so passionate about this. My son was lucky to survive but so many kids are not as fortunate.

"Since he was attacked, two more teenagers have been killed. We can't go on like this and our new government needs to take a look at what is going on in London's streets and do something before it's too late."

Police are treating the attack as attempted murder. A Scotland Yard spokesman said today there have been no arrests.