Boy with autism, 12, ends up in Intensive Care after bullies give him a drink ‘mixed with bleach’

A 12-year-old autistic boy ended up on life support after bullies gave him a drink that was allegedly mixed with bleach.

• Ronnie Phillips, a 12-year-old autistic boy, was ‘left to die’ after given a drink allegedly mixed with bleach.
• The child was rushed to the hospital and put in an induced coma.
• Ronnie is now in a stable condition but remains in hospital. 

Ronnie Phillips, 12, of Crawley, West Sussex, is fighting for his life after consuming a toxic drink his mother believes contained bleach, Healthy Food House reports.

On the night of October 9, Ronnie and his younger brother Jimmy, 11, reportedly sneaked out of their home. At the time, their mother was asleep. As per Sussex Live, the brothers then went on to meet up with some older kids. The older ones then gave the autistic boy a can of drink that they said was alcohol, Danielle Potter, Ronnie’s mom claims. Although it is yet to be confirmed, the family believes the alcoholic drink was mixed with bleach.

After consuming the poisonous drink, Ronnie collapsed on the street as the bullies fled. 

The terrified mother said that her boy collapsed on Byrd Road, and they stayed there all night. She claims the police arrived in the morning, several hours after the incident. Ronnie’s younger brother was deeply traumatized, thinking his brother was dead. Luckily, a woman passing by heard Jimmy’s screams and stayed with the boys until the emergency services arrived.

Ronnie was then rushed to St George’s Hospital in Tooting, south London. The 12-year-old was put in an induced coma in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit. His deeply concerned mother said:

“What my 12-year-old thought would be a laugh and a bit of fun with his mates has resulted with him like this in a coma – a machine breathing for him and in icu ward. I just want to make people realise the dangers of drink, drugs, playing stupid games and running away leaving a child to die. Kids will be kids but this sort of stuff is just ridiculous and dangerous.”

Thankfully, Ronnie is now in a stable condition!

Ronnie’s grandmother, Tracey Willmor, has launched a GoFundMe page to support the family following the child’s life-threatening experience. In the description of the fundraiser, Ms. Willmor writes:

“He is now awake but can’t understand why no one likes him and would do this to him when he thought they was his friends! I want to show him that people do care and are not all nasty.”

In an update, Sussex Live revealed that the police reported that the boy remains in the hospital in a stable condition. A spokesman for Sussex Police said:

“The boy was taken to hospital in a serious condition. He remains in hospital in a stable condition. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what happened, and to identify if any offences have been committed. Police are currently awaiting the results of tests to determine what may have caused the boy to collapse.”

Police are encouraging anyone who has any information about the life-threatening incident to come forward online or by calling 101 quoting serial 23 of 09/10.

This is yet another chilling story of bullying that went too far and could have cost someone’s life. If you ever witness a scene where someone who cannot defend themselves is being harassed or oppressed by others, use your voice and help them. Remember that bystanders who choose to close their eyes and remain silent can only make the act of bullying worse.