Boy, 10, bruised after 'killer clown' chase through park

A schoolboy was left with bruising after a "killer clown" chased him through a park before throwing objects at him.

Ben Griffiths, 10, was walking with a friend in Tredegar, south Wales, when they were pursued by a clown - the latest incident in the prank craze sweeping across the UK.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Ben described being chased by the clown as "very scary".

Police have already warned the public that dressing up as clowns to unsettle and frighten passersby has gone too far, with one force reporting 14 incidents in 24 hours.

"We saw a girl running up from the park and when we walked down further into the middle we started to hear laughing", Ben said.

"Then we looked behind us and saw a clown and we started running".

Ben's mother, Zoe, said: "[I was] Very Concerned. I was just so angry, I couldn't believe that somebody could do that to him.

"It's bad enough scaring the kids but to actually cause a bruise is just getting out of hand".

She added that it was "very difficult" to describe what a clown suspect looks like to police.

Peter Bleksley, a former Metropolitan Police officer, told GMB that he hoped the force would come down hard on the pranksters.

"I think the police need to take a very firm stance here", he said.

"If they cause harassment, alarm or distress that's a clear criminal offence and I think they need to deal with it swiftly, effectively and firmly".