Boy shot in the head by BB pellet

Sebastian Padbury had gone to Masters off-licence in East Ham Road with his 10-year-old brother George and his two cousins Troy, 14, and Benjamin, 12, to buy sweets and cola for a family party taking place at home to celebrate his aunt's 29th wedding anniversary.

The boys left the shop and were approached by a gang of youths who stole George's sweets and shot Sebastian in the head at point blank range with what is believed to be a BB gun.

Sebastian's mum, Samantha, spoke to the Gazette on Tuesday and said: "He was back at Palatine School today playing in a football tournament, which nothing could have kept him away from.

"He came home in tears. He was really upset and in shock.

"We called paramedics out to the house on Sunday and they

treated him there. He has got a nasty bruise behind his ear, which we had to keep an eye on overnight.

"I can't believe it's happened. It's awful."

Sebastian's aunt, Stephanie Wolfe, said: "It's scary. If that had been an air pistol then it could have done a lot more damage.

"It was also really upsetting because we were having such a nice family get-together and then this happened."

Police are investigating the assault and are interested in talking to a number of youths who were seen in the area at the time.

Carrying BB guns in a public place is illegal. Since the beginning of last year, under the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, it is illegal to carry one in a public place without authority or reasonable excuse.

Carrying an imitation firearm is an arrestable offence and can result in a prison term. The majority of BB guns fall into this category because they are designed to be an exact replica of the real thing.

Jill Pederson, spokeswoman for Sussex Police, said: "These weapons are manufactured in such a way that even trained police firearms officers cannot always tell them apart from the real thing.

"This means that anyone carrying, or worse, using one of these weapons in public may find the police have been called and may even find themselves confronted by armed police officers.

"This is something we obviously do not want to happen as it increases the risks for all involved."

Anyone with information should contact police on 0845 60 70 999.