Man and his dog attacked by gang of 12 'wild' boys and girls' in Milton Keynes park

A dog walker has spoken of his Halloween terror when a gang of children "acting like wild animals" attacked him with bottles in a Milton Keynes park.
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Pete Patton, 52, was walking his terrier dog in the dark at 9pm when he passed a group of 14 and 15-year-olds sitting on a park bench and smashing Bacardi Breezer bottles onto the ground.

"I stopped and asked them, quite reasonably, to stop smashing the bottles and put them in the bin right next to the bench instead. I explained I walked my dog every day past the bench and was worried he would get glass in his feet."

But the polite request was met with a "vile" outburst, said Pete, who runs a local garage.

Oxley Park in Milton KeynesOxley Park in Milton Keynes
Oxley Park in Milton Keynes

"The two girls were the worst. The language that came from their months was probably the worst I've ever heard. I wouldn't even repeat the names they called me."

The boys joined in with a torrent of abuse - then got their cameras out and started filming Pete. One of them then threw a bottle at his dog, hitting him hard on the back leg.

"I just picked up the dog and walked away at that point. I wasn't going to start arguing with a group of kids and I needed to get the dog safely home," he said.

But as Pete walked away, still carrying the dog, the youths started throwing bottles directly at him, hitting him in several places.

"I was furious. Again their language was disgusting. These kids were like wild animals - they were totally out of control."

As soon as Pete got back to his Oxley Park home he checked his terrified dog then dialled 999.

"I really expected police to take and interest because of all the recent problems with gangs. But they didn't seem too concerned," he said.

Pete is still waiting, four days later, for an officer to come out and take details of the attack.

But in the meantime, he has played private detective and knocked on doors of houses near the park to gather CCTV evidence of the youths.

"I managed to get some really good footage of them leaving the park and I intend to give it to the police. The kids need to be punished," he said.

Meanwhile, he said his dog, called Brian, is still suffering.

"He's 13 years old and he's been ill all weekend. I think it's shock," he said.