Police appeal for calm after violence breaks out at vigil for one-month-old baby 'with every rib broken'

By CHRIS PARSONS

Prayers: More candles and flowers are placed outside the house where the one-month-old baby boy was allegedly beaten and abused in Gravesend, Kent

Police were forced to subdue a 100-strong angry mob which had gathered on a street where a one-month-old baby boy was allegedly raped and battered so badly his heart stopped.
The infant remained in a serious condition today after allegedly suffering multiple horrific injuries in Gravesend, Kent, in one of Britain's worst cases of child abuse.
The boy's injuries are reported to include a broken arm, broken collarbone, punctured lungs and severe bruising. He is also believed to have had his ribs fractured.

Vigil: A well-wisher observes the tributes outside the semi-detached house in Gravesend, where the baby boy was allegedly abused

He also reportedly suffered sexual injury and internal wounds, suggesting rape. There has been no official confirmation of the extent of his alleged injuries.
A group which initially gathered outside the £150,000 semi-detached house where the attack allegedly took place started a candlelit vigil, which soon led to damage as emotions ran high.
A man aged 35 and a woman aged 33 were arrested and released on police bail.
One of those involved in the vigil said they had gone to a house where they believed a man arrested in connection with the incident was staying with his family after he was released on police bail.

Lookout: Kent police were called to the scene of the vigil on Saturday night where a house was reportedly damaged

Community spirit: A vigil on Saturday outside the house had resulted in criminal damage, but a second coming together of the community passed off peacefully

Calm: Police urged locals not to engage in 'vigilante behaviour' before their vigils which took place outside the property on Saturday and Sunday night

One woman who took part in the vigil said: 'We lit candles and were saying prayers but then someone shouted 'let's go and find the b******s who did this.
'They then stormed round to this other house in a nearby street and started throwing things at the house and damaging a car parked in the driveway.

Care: King's College Hospital where the baby was today in a 'serious but stable' condition

Violence and criminal damage figures are above the average for the country, according to Home Office crime statistics.
Data from last year also ranked the part of Gravesham Borough Council where the child was found in the top two tiers on a nationwide deprivation scale.
The area has some of the highest unemployment and lowest average wages of residents in any local authority, according to Atlas of Deprivation produced by the Office of National Statistics.
Neighbours near to the house where the baby was found said a man and a woman lived in the semi-detached property with a new-born baby.
They were described as 'normal, nice, polite' people, while another resident on the street said they heard a 'loud commotion' from the house on Thursday morning.

source: dailymail