| The 14-year-old’s mum said she had been looking at adverts on the Internet and was worried by how easy air weapons are to get hold of.
“They should definitely be licensed,” she said.
On Saturday, she had received the kind of phone call no parent wants to receive.
She said, “I got told my son had been shot. They didn’t know how bad it was at the time.”
Initially a surgeon told her it might be possible for the surgery to remove the pellet to be done at Ninewells.
The boy’s dad added, “That’s a sad time, when you get told he might need a big operation.”
When it was established the pellet was quite deep in the boy’s chest cavity close to his heart, a decision was taken to send the youngster to Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow, where staff specialise in operating on children.
He went through in an ambulance while mum and dad had to borrow a car to take them through.
The boy’s dad explained that when they arrived, “They were waiting for us to get a signature for the consent form for the surgery. That was a scary time.”
Doctors had thought it might be Tuesday before the 14-year-old could be allowed home, but the operation went so well that he was allowed away a day early and is now recovering at his home in Mill O’ Mains.
His relieved mum said, “It’s amazing how he has bounced back.”
The family will have to return to Glasgow for a review, just to check everything is okay, but the boy is expected to make a full recovery.
The boy’s mum said the team at Yorkhill were “absolutely tremendous”.
— A 16-year-old youth has been released on bail after appearing before a sheriff in connection with the incident, which happened in Finavon Street. |
