A BABYSITTER today spoke of his terrifying ordeal at the hands of thugs who beat him with a baseball bat after bursting into a house.

Gary Cooper, 15, suffered a fractured finger and bruising all over his body after the frightening attack as he looked after two young children.

The Darwen Moorland High School pupil had been taunted by the nine-strong gang of 11 to 16-year-olds as he watched over deaf four-year-old Marcus Lodge, and his brother Xagyn, two, at their home in Meadow Gate, Darwen.

Gary told the group to go away as they shouted abuse through a window as he played downstairs on a computer.

Then the door, which had been locked, burst open and the young thugs poured in.

Gary cowered on the floor as he was punched and kicked. He was smashed across the head and back with a baseball bat.

His horrified mother, Tina Buckley, 36, of nearby Ash Grove, heard her son's screams and ran to help.

Police arrived within minutes and an ambulance was called to take the injured youngster to hospital.

Gary - named after the film star - said: "It was horrible. I lay on the floor and just tried to cover my head as they attacked me.

"I didn't know what to do so I just let them hit me and just prayed for them to go away."

Mum Tina, who also has two young daughters, said: "I want these youngsters caught soon.

"What they did was terrible and he's been left very shaken by this. He's a regular babysitter for those two children and it was lucky they were in bed at the time.

"Gary may be named after a tough cowboy but he's quite scrawny and there was no need for this brutal attack."

Darwen Police are investigating the Friday night attack.

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