THE distraught mum of a boy who had his jaw broken in three places in a daylight unprovoked attack in Corringham has said she wants “justice for her son.”

A 16-year old Gable Hall Sixth Form pupil was rushed to hospital covered in blood after being punched outside the Co-op in Gardner Avenue, Corringham on Sunday morning.

He has had to have metal plates put into his jaw and doctors said the attack had left him with a crack in his cheek.

The teenager was with his girlfriend in the supermarket when another boy at the college accused him of spreading rumours, his mum said.

The boy tried to leave the scene on his bike saying he “didn’t know what he was talking about”, but the boy chased after him and told him to ‘take a punch like a man,’ his mum said.

The 33-year old mum said: “It was absolutely awful, the whole family has been traumatised.

“We were celebrating my two-year old son’s birthday when we got a call from his girlfriend. He was absolutely covered in blood.

“His whole face has swollen up. He had the surgery done yesterday, metal plates and bolts were put in place.

“There were four of them, two girls and two boys. They accused him of spreading rumours, and my son walked away.

“The boy called him and got him to get off his bike.

“The boy said to him, ‘I know it’s not true, but take a punch like a man anyway. It was absolutely, 100 per cent intent.

“He punched him in the jaw and then ran off. It was absolutely awful.

“We were in Basildon A&E for four hours.”

Concerned friends and the boy’s mum launched an appeal for witnesses yesterday and a woman came forward with CCTV footage which has been passed onto the police.

The boy is alleged to have handed himself into police yesterday morning after the campaign went viral.

His mum said: “I can’t thank the whole community enough.

“It makes me emotional just to think about it. Everyone has come through for us, witnesses came forwards.”

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "Police are investigating an assault on a teenage boy in Williamsons Way, Corringham, at 11am on September 18.

"The 16-year-old victim was punched and suffered a fractured jaw and cheekbone. A 16-year-old boy has been interviewed in relation to the incident and enquiries are ongoing."