Father, 41, ran over two teenage boys who “bullied his son”

The father of three from Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, in Scotland ran over two 15-year-old boys who he claimed were bullying his son. The two boys were part of a group who came and vandalized their home one night, after which Kevin Connolly’s son decided to chase after them. Connolly then took matters into his own hands, chasing down the teenagers in his truck and hitting them with the vehicle.

Father Runs Over Two Boys Who Were Bullying His Son

Kevin Connolly is a 41-year-old father of three with no previous criminal record. One night, a group of teenage boys came to their house and vandalized it, breaking their porch windows. Two of these kids, 15-year-old boys, were allegedly bullying Connolly’s son. His son ran off after the teenagers, when Connolly decided to follow his son and his bullies in his Ford Mondeo truck. He pursued them as they ran into a park, where he plowed his truck into the two young boys. He reportedly ran over one of the boy’s legs. (1)

One of the boys apparently jumped in a car to escape but was let out at a nearby park. Connolly entered the park in his truck and drove up onto the pedestrian way, hitting the boy from behind and knocking him over. The other boy helped him up as they tried to get away. Connolly continued to pursue them, driving down the park’s footpath. He knocked them both over and ran over one of the boy’s legs. The boys were taken to the hospital while Connolly fled to his sister’s house, apparently in a “terrified” state.

The Charges

This incident took place back in September 2021. Connolly reported vandalism to both his car and home. He informed the police of his whereabouts, and they arrested him two days later. Initially, Connolly faced attempted murder charges against the boys. This week, however, he pleaded guilty to assaulting the boys and endangering their lives.

One of the boys was treated for a broken leg, which had a metal plate placed in it, with the skin taken off of his hip. He will have permanent scarring on his foot and reduced mobility. The court said that while the two boys were with the group that vandalized the Connolly home, neither of them were the ones who had thrown the rock that broke the front porch window.

They Were Bullies

Connolly’s attorney Sean Templeton said in court that the two boys were part of this group that had been bullying Connolly’s son for quite some time now. This intimidation escalated beyond bullying the child at school but to seeking him out and attacking his home. This is why he chased after the teenagers and why his father then went after them as well. Templeton explained that Connolly feared that the boys would attack and harm his son.

“The middle son was subject to a campaign by youths who took to bullying and intimidating him,” Templeton told the courts. “He did not see his son and came across the boys – he was in a panic as he thought his son was going to be set about and that’s the reason the actions were inflicted the way did.” (2)

Connolly has not yet been sentenced, however, as the Edinburgh High Court is still waiting for the pending background reports. Though violence is never the answer, and Connolly will certainly pay for the way he reacted to his son’s bullies, the vandals certainly learned a lesson about bullying through all of this, as well.

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