John Swinney meets teen brutally attacked on bus as he vows to tackle youth violence
dailyrecord.co.ukFirst Minister John Swinney has promised to tackle the issue of youth violence in Scotland after meeting a teenage victim and her mum.Kaylynn Donald, 13, sat down with Swinney at Bute House in Edinburgh on Wednesday as she pleaded with him to hear from those impacted by an epidemic of brutal attacks on kids.
The courageous youngster secured the meeting after her mum Vicky, 38, penned an open letter to the First Minister in June, calling for urgent action following the 'senseless' death of 16-year-old Kory McCrimmon in Glasgow.The teenager died after a disturbance in a city park and a 13-year-old boy has since been charged with his murder.
Vicky, from Fife, has campaigned against youth violence since Kaylynn was savagely battered on a school bus in 2022. The incident, which was filmed by onlookers and uploaded to social media, left the schoolgirl suicidal and requiring mental health support.
The mother and daughter asked Swinney to hold a fresh summit on youth violence that will hear directly from victims and their families after a similar summit held last year - which excluded victims and was held behind closed doors - was slammed by campaigners as "nothing more than a talking shop".Speaking to the Record after Wednesday's meeting, Mr Swinney said: “When I met Kaylynn and her mum, I told them how sorry I was about everything they have experienced over the past two years.
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